Evening star., 1937-12-26
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.

"HE storm in the Pacific has broken
out sooner than Washington ex-
pected. Three weeks ago even the
most pessimistic observers did not
believe that the new masters of Japan
the military clique-would dare to under
take an outrage of such magnitude as the
sinking of an American Warship. The
minds Of those who plunged Japan into
the present adventure are unfathomable.
The fact that there are men at the head
of the japanese government who are not
afraid Of committing political harakiri is
worrying President Roosevelt and his ad-
visers, who are striving, at the time this
article is written, to settle the conflict
without recourse to drastic action
On Tuesday, December IA, President
Roosevelt placed the whole matter in the
hands of the Emperor of Japan In
memorandum to Secretary Hull he re-
quested that the Japanese Ambassador in
form his foreign minister that President
Roosevelt requested that the Emperor be
advised about the grave concern with
which the situation was viewed officially
In the United States.
The news of the attack on the U. S. S.
gunboat Panay was received in Washing
ton on Sunday night. Mr.. Hull sum-
moned Admiral William Leahy, chief of
naval operations, and Assistant Secretary
of State Hugh Wilson to his hotel apart
ment to discuss the situation. The extent
of the aggression was then unknown. The
only thing which appeared probable was
that it was not one of those accidents
which are inevitable when a foreign YES
sci Is in the vicinity of two combatant
armies. Admiral Leahy had positive IN
formation that the Panay had moved %
miles down the river from Nanking in
order to avoid an incident such as oc-
Cured few months ago, when the
cruiser Augusta was hit by stray shell.
1t was also known that the skipper of the
gunboat had notified the japanese army
command that he was moving his boat
to point where there was no fighting.
The three men discussed the situation
at length, but it was left to the President
to decide what form the protest to Toxic
should take.
japanese Moves Watched Closely.
Mr.. Roosevelt and the State Department
have been watching the moves of the
August. 1t was obvious to the President
that the ordinary diplomatic protests
would be of no avail 1t was known in
Washington that Japan had adopted
Jekyll-Hyde diplomacy. The appeal must
be addressed to the one source of supreme
authority in Japan-the Emperor If he
was willing to give guarantees that In the
future such incidents would not be re-
peated, that the Americans would be able
to continue to live in the areas occupied
their lives and property, the incident
would be closed. If he refused, the admin
istration would consider further action.
In the meantime, reports from Toxic
and from the regions of China occupied
by the Japanese armies were coming into
washington. These reports indicated that
the attack was not the work of some local
commander of hot-headed aviators de-
sirous of securing place in the history
OF Japan. 1t was carefully thought-out
plan of the japanese high command.
Despite the military victories of Nip
ponese armies in China, the Japanese are
meeting with serious difficulties in find
ing men to assume the leadership of the
Chinese nation under Tokio's wing. Most
Chinese capable of becoming the dummies
Of the Toxic government still live in the
hope that eventually their country will be
saved by the western powers. 1t was to
kill this last hope of the Chinese that the
Japanese military decided to make q
coup" which would cause one of the
putative saviors-the United States-to
lose face with the Chinese At the same
time the foreign Office took steps to avoid
q war with this country.
Aim Also to Force Out Americans.
Another purpose behind the move was to
force Americans and other foreigners out
Of those parts of China where they have
been in business for nearly century. If
the japanese perpetrated spectacular ac-
ton against the United States with no
penalty attached-beyond profuse apol-
ogies and the payment Of an insignificant
indemnity-there could be no doubt that
the westerners settled in China would lose
all hope Of protection by their govern
ments and leave the country. This has
happened several times since the end of
the World War, when nationals of western
nations left eastern countries.
Consequently, according to plan, the
japanese foreign office rushed to apologize
for the "deplorable mistake of the Jap
anese aviators long before the United
States Government sent its first note of
protest. Apology followed apology. The
Toxic government offered to pay hand
some indemnity for the lost vessel and to
the families of those who were killed. The
Toxic police went step further and Or
dered the inhabitants to make friendly
fuss over every individual on the streets
Of Toxic wearing the American insignia
IN his buttonhole. School children offered
to gather their pennies for the rebuilding