The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-10-28

(Wnlcn ne played Well aC
Between times he read over the
seven bound volumes Of his type
written diary telling Of his seven
years as ambassador to Japan.
No one would have suspected
from observing Grew on that trip
that he soon was to put across
one of Roosevelt's most important
foreign policies.
Certainly the Japanese press did
not realize IL, for all of them
wished him q pleasant vacation, q
speedy return, and the official
Domei News Agency explained
that he was going home to correct
false American impressions re-
garding "the new order Of things
In East ASIA"
It Is now no secret, OF course,
that Crews recent warning to
Japan, which came"right from the
horses mouth, was carefully pre-
pared in Washington, and that
this was the major reason for
his return home.
However, the chain Of events
which preceded the horses
mouth" warning, and the general
policy Roosevelt Is driving at In
the Far East have not yet reached
the category of an open secret.
BRITISH PLIGHT
Inside fact is that at least twice
in the last two years, Prime Min
lister Neville Chamberlain has
called in Ambassador Joe Kennedy
and asked him what the United
States was prepared to do about
the Far East in case Great Bril-
tain got involved in war In Eu-
rope, Chamberlain explained that
the British fleet could not be IN
two places at once, and wanted
to know what help 1t could get
from the American fleet in case
Japan started to run beserk In the
Pacific, as she did In the last war.
I'm each case, Kennedy latter
consulting with Ro0seveIt) ex-
planned that the United States
could give NO pledge to Great
Britain In advance, that any
pledge would be tantamount to
. foreign ENHANCEMENT, but that
the United States always had
had q vital interest In the Pa
cific and would act accordingly
as events developed.
Meanwhile Roosevelt, without
any pledge to the British, began
working out his own policy toward
Japan.
The President has been a stu
dent Of naval strategy ever since
he BEGAN to read Admiral Mahan
at the age Of IA. And the strategy
worked out for Ambassador Grew
in Tokyo and for the U. 8. navy
in the Pacific Is almost entirely
Roosevelt's own.
ROOSEVELT STRATEGY
In the first place, he figured
that II war broke In Europe (and
he was convinced all last summer
that 1t was coming), the Japanese
would be free to take the Dutch
East Indies, with their tremendous
oil reserves, and perhaps later
take French Indo-China, even
Singapore.
SO last spring when Hitler
threatened Danzig. Roosevelt sud-
denly sent the entire U. 8. fleet,
then converging on the New
York's Worlds Fair, back to the
Pacific. This was part OF the
strategy. simultaneously. he de-
cided to bring Grew home for
special instructions.
Four months later, just rs
Grew got back to Tokyo with
his stiff warning that japanese
miIitarism was alternating the
United States, Roosevelt be-
gam shifting the u. 8. fleet far
Their out into the Pacific. this
time to Hawaii.
It is too early yet to guage
the final results Of the maneuver
but so far it has worked even
better than expected. The Jap
anese peace party has beer
strengthened, and the japanese
military, who understood only the
threat Of force, are worried.
JOSEPH CLARK GREW
It was q typical Roosevelt para.
dox that to execute this delicate
Far Eastern strategy he chose
man who stands for the things
Roosevelt opposes.
Joe Grew Is related TO the J. p
Morgans, against whom the Presi.
dent recently cautioned the Bril-
tish. His motto In life is SINH
lar to that which hangs in Pull.