Evening star., 1937-12-26
Reaction to Panay Incident
Revelation to Japan's Military
Whether Emperor Hirohito Complies With Roose.
velt's Demands Will Depend on Depth of
Impression on Army and Navy.

of a bigger and better Panay, while the
crews of the japanese feet did the same
thing. Never were American newspaper
Office and the navy department than they
were last week. They were given the free
dom of those otherwise closed Offices.
The plan Of the Japanese was as simple
as it was shreWd. Closely following Ameri-
can public opinion regarding Far Eastern
affairs, they saw that while the administra-
ton was inclined to stop-by force if
necessary-the occupation of China. the
American people was opposed to anything
that smacked of interference.
The get out of China" speeches of vari-
GUS members of the Senate and the House
of Representatives encouraged the Japanese
in their belief that the United States would
not permit its Government to take active
measures to safeguard the investments and
the trade possibilities of its citizens in the
Far East. The Toxic government was
still is, in fact-convinced that the citizens
of this country cannot realize that there
is something more than a few hundred
million dollars involved in our stake In
the Orient. Excuses, apologies, removal Of
high officers from their command, the pay
ment of indemnities-all these were in
tended as soporific gestures to American
public opinion.
Whether the Emperor will comply with
the request of the President of the United
States-at this writing no reply has been
received-depends largely on how the
japanese military have been impressed with
the reaction of the American people to the
outrage of December II. The best plans
in the world frequently fall short because
of psychological mistake. For years the
japanese army and navy leaders have been
convinced by their observers in the United
States that the old pioneer spirit has died
out in Americans as q result of too much
physical comfort" that the people of the
United States are soft and will not fight
unless attacked on their own territory.
The reaction of these soft" people has
been q revelation.
The japanese Embassy In washington
has keen ear. The news that a number
of spectacular speeches urging immediate
withdrawal Of all American forces from the
Far East had to be cancelled by Senators
and Representatives as soon as the details
of the bombing we're known was cabed to
Toxic. The fact that the State Depart
ment has withheld for several days the
publication Of the official accounts of the
outrage as contained in the report of 1t.
Comdr. Hughes and Secretary of Embassy
Atcheson, in order mot to inflame public
opinion and render the peaceful settlement
of the incident more difficult" was also
cahled to Toxic. And reports of "cruise"
of the American fleet to the Western
Pacific was less impressive to the Japanese
military than were these items concerning
public opinion.
British Are Affected, Too.
In the meantime, the reaction Of the
American people seems to have had an
effect on the British government, too.
Heretofore the heads of that government
thought of sending force unobtrusively
to the Far East-just routine movements
of ships until an entire squadron was
gathered Somewhere in the Indian Ocean"
Now the British government talks outright
about sending substantial reinforcements
to the Pacific to protect Britain's vital
interests in that area. The plan of
coercive action against Japan is being
discussed so openly in Washington that
the White House was compelled to issue
an official denial-somewhat belated-of
rumors that the President was considering
moving the fleet into the western Pacific
The denial is an important piece of
diplomacy-it treasures Japan and gives
her chance to readjust matters Old
timers recall, however, that on the eve
of the dispatch OF the American fleet
Secretary Metcalf issued strenuous denial
OF such pernicious rumors."
At the time this article is written the
administration considers the incident with
Japan as most serious, but it still has
hope of an arrangement which will remove
all possibility of further trouble-an ar
rangement based on foolproof guarantees
from Japans supreme ruler that such incl
dents will not recur and that our efforts
and interests in the Far East will no LONGER
be at the mercy Of irresponsible army
leaders.
President Roosevelt and his advisers
believe that the time has come when our
position in the Far East must be COM
pletely clarified. The Japanese have al
lowed us to take look at their hand, We
are showing ours. The next play is
Tokios.
(Copyright, 1887. by Mcclure Newspaper
Syndicate.)