Evening star., 1939-06-16
Parallel PeriIs

Washington is exchanging infor-
nation with London Paris and Toxic
regarding the japanese blockade at
Tientsin. While Secretary Hull was
making this known yesterday Prime
Minister Chamberlain indicated in
the House of Commons the possibility
that Britain would seek joint inter-
national action to frustrate Japan'S
purposes in China. The demands
Toxic has made are much farther
reaching than the request for hand
ing over a quartet of Chinese mur-
der suspects, Mr.. Chamberlain said,
"and raise important questions of
policy, in which other great powers
are concerned no less than Great
Britain. The closest possible touch
is therefore being maintained with
the French and American govern
ments."
On recurrent occasions, when the
Japanese have played ducks and
brakes with the rights of western
nations in China, Secretary Hull pro-
claimed that this country, while pur-
suing parallel purposes" with Great
Britain in the Far East would con-
tinue to preserve full liberty of inde-
pendent action. Undoubtedly that
will remain the administrations
course certainly as long as the Jap
anese refrain from acts directly det-
rimental to American interests. But
the fact may as we'll be faced that,
along with parallel purposes" we
now face parallel perils. Time and
again the United States has protested
vigorously against the new order in
Asia" which Nippon seeks to estab-
lish. The new order" essays nothing
less than the slamming of the open
door in China and the abrogation of
international treaty rights. 1t would
virtually require foreign countries to
trade there wholly on Japans terms
and on her sufferance. That in effect
is the program in which Toxic now
seeks to compel British acquiescence.
Ambassador Grew, now on we'll
earned leave in Washington, has pre-
sented half a dozen notes to the
Toxic foreign office setting forth that
to such a japanese policy in China
the United States enters an un-
equivocal demurrer.
The British Consul General at
Tientsin has submitted a strong pro-
test against the japanese blockade
and the stopping and searching of
British subjects by Japanese troops.
It demands cessation of such meas
ures. Meantime, British and japanese
armed forces which faced one an
other at Tientsin with only few
yards between them, have mutually
withdrawn from positions of menac-
Ing proximity.
London Is in no doubt as to the
gravity Of the issue now drawn in
China. It is, as Mr.. Chamberlain
says, not confined to Great Britain.
It impinges upon the interests of all
powers whose rights in China have
been brazenly Haunted by the Jap
anese. Tokios maneuvers, which are
a vivid expression of the domination
of the civilian government by the
militarists, are rapidly approaching a
point beyond which retreat by the
western powers will be impossible
unless they are ready to scuttle what
ever vestige of influence, prestige
and authority they still retain in
China.
Naturally Anglo-French action will
be governed by developments in Eu-
rope. Germany, signaling that no
fresh action in Poland is contemplate
ed until September, is meantime
threatening another aggressive move
in Slovakia. Japan, true to form,
clearly has chosen the moment of
Gestapo Chief Himnler's presence in
Prague on mission that bodies no
pacific purpose, for forcing a test of
the British attitude toward Japan's
pretensions in China. Her war lords
obviously reckon that Anglo-French
armed weakness in the East, plus the
democracies' fear of what the axis
powers may spring any day in the
West, creates showdown situation
in Asia highly favorable to the pro-
moters of the new order"
The resultant dilemma is one from
which the United States may not
permanently find it possible to re-
main altogether aloof.