Evening star., 1939-04-27

good relations s''S'''s
with Japan as David Lawrence.
to see peace in Europe, but the cir
cumstances surrounding the prob
lem In the Pacific have required a
different approach.
It is we'll known here. of course,
that Berlin has been putting pres
sure on the japanese to make an
open declaration of purpose to go
along with the so-called axis pow
ers, and that such statement
would imply disturbance of the
: status quo in the Pacific which
could not but be of direct interest
to the United States. If the decision
of Toxic is to rely on the coercive
influence of physical force rather
than amicable negotiations of So
luton of existing problems as they
relate to Great Britain. the United
States, France and the Netherlands,
then the sending Of the American
fleet back to the Pacific is merely
q signal of protection on the
part of America S makers of foreign
policy.
But the true American desire, the
hope and intention of the Ameri-
can Government, is to re-establish
the friendliest possible relations
with Toxic. When the President
sent cruiser to Japan bearing the
ashes of the former japanese AM
bassador to the United States and
the japanese people through their
press noted this demonstration of
friendship with deepest apprecia-
. ton, it was a sign of the hopes OF
the Washington Government that
some way might be found to bring
Japanese American relations to the
status they formerly had.
Problems Not Insuperable.
The problems of Chinese-Japanese
friction are not regarded here as
gotiated between China and Japan,
but the real question is what can
this be made to mean in economic
. terms. Wherever one turns in the
international unrest of today lead
ing to threats of war there is basic
economic problem which could yield
to treatment if the other nations of
the world would but see the dis
interestedness of purpose of the
United States Government as a
possible mediator.
Thus, In respect to China. what
the japanese want is an opportunity
for their crowded population to ex-
pand commercially in the Far East.
The American Government has no
objection to japanese commercial
expansion, in fact. would like to help
encourage it. but the Japanese gov
ernment has used up substantial
amount of capital and the whole
japanese national economy cannot
utilize the gains made in China
unless capital comes in from the
outside.
America stands in an lmpregnable
position as the possessor OF vast
gold holdings which can be used as
basis for international investment
by private individuals. But with a
danger of friction with Japan there
is no inclination on the part of
American capital to enter into any
development plans along with the
Japanese.
The way to an unprecedented COM
mercial expansion for the benefit,
not only of the Japanese. but other
nations. including the United States.
could be opened by the negotiation
of a Chinese-Japanese peace treaty
and the formulation of an interna-
tional plan for the development of
Chinese national resources.
Germany Out of Picture.
The American Government might
be willing to discuss such a compre-
hensive program if it could be as
sured that the Japanese and Chinese
would be ready to agree on peace
terms. and if the United States
could be further assured that Japan
would not involve herself in the
. so-called power politics of Europe
which could at any time disturb the
best laid of economic plans. British
interests in the Far East are extern
sive and in the old days, the United
States, Great Britain and France
and the Netherlands, together with
Germany and Japan, furnished
most of the capital for the devel-
opment of China.
Today obviously Germany is out
Of the picture and Japan is heavily
in debt as consequence of military
Operations in China. So it would be
much more inexpensive for Japan
If peace came in the Far East and
a new plan of economic development
were adopted in which Japan played
q much more vital part than ever
before. In other words. the part
nership between the japanese and
other nations could be arranged on
a basis propoStionate to the stake
involved, and there is no longer a
tendency here to disregard the
realities of japanese sphere of in
f1uence in the Far East provided
that Japan, like the United States
In Latin America, does not use that
sphere of influence in way detri-