Evening star., 1939-08-02
Tone of Note
Voiding Pact
Deceptive
Casual Message
To Jopon Held
A Potent WARNING
BY PRESTON GROVER.

You could never tell from the
tone OF the note terminating the
United States-Japanese trade treaty
that the State Department was de-
hvering a warning left iab with
indications that more was in re-
serve.
1t gives the impression that Sec
retary Hull was sitting late in his
Office one night with a half eaten
sandwich on plate at his side.
Thumbing over a handful of treat
les he comes to one with Japan.
We'll, we'll" seems to say, this
one appears to be bit out of date.
Hey, boy, run over to Ambassador
Horlnouchi's and tell him this trade
treaty is SO old we want a new
one"
The tone of the note is Just that
casual. Diplomacy has its tricks and
this is one OF them. 1t is the tim
Ing that counts. When the thing
is all Strengthened out once more
and everybody decides to be clos
est friends. there Will be no hard
words in print in connection with
the treaty.
Foreign Newsmen Surprised.
The denunciation of the treaty,
effective in six months, caught
Washington by surprise. Only a
couple of days before, certain for
eign correspondents had cabled
home that the administration was
not likely to show an especially
firm attitude in its foreign affairs
until the breach in the Democratic
party had been healed enough to
permit a show of a solid front on
such things as arms embargoes.
The defeat on the arms embargo
repeal was accepted as a blow to
administration influence in Euro
pean affairs, a sign that isolation
was again in the saddle.
But our disposition toward iso-
latlon has applied principally on
the Atlantic side, On the Pacific
side 1t is different. Neither trade
nor the fear of entangling alliances
governs our relations with the ORR
ent. Sentiment has controlled from
the beginning. OF course mer.
chants with dollar investments in
the Orient have had a different
viewpoint. But sentiment and its
ally, philanthropy, have been the
controlling motive with the public
and with long line of national
administrations. United States in
VeStments in China. except in the
Shanghai area, are dominantly mis-
slonary and educational. Except
in Shanghai and Tientsin most of
the Americans in China are mis-
slonaries, hospital attaches or school
teachers.
Teeth for Golden Rule.
Our attitude toward China, and
until recently toward Japan. has
been that of busy-body, but low
ing, great aunt. 1t reached its apex
in the late Victorian days about
1900 when John Hay evolved the
open-door policy. That was a sort
Of United States China golden rule.
We sought to persuade others to do
unto emma as we would ourselves
do unto China.
We have accepted the privileges
and obligations of extra territorial
ity which. in the main, means that
Americans in China will be sub
ject to United States. not Chinese,
civil and court authority. But we
have withheld, for the most part.
from the international grab for
concessions.
At times we have frowned or
groWled at England, France, Rus
sia, Germany and Japan in an ef-
fort to preserve the open door. No
administration yet has indicated
that We would go to war about it.
But the denunciation of the treaty
indicates this administration may
be ready to take steps short of
war"-in the nature of trade re-
rangements-and, possibly, en-
bargoes-to indicate strongly to ia
pan that, sentimentally, we are still
fussy about who does what to China.