Evening star., 1940-10-06

| oeAASA dAld ChSCl1Clll SOul CCS VI
formation. They know they cannot
help Japan. They know that even
if they captured Suez the Italian
fleet could not operate in the Indian
| Ocean because of the short range of
its ships, and because the British
Mediterranean fleet would still be
in front of it. They know that II
challenged Japan must yield or go
down.
On what, then, do they build? On
lethargy, fear, inaction on our part.
On the strategy of terror which has
served them so we'll in all they have
| done.
In their over-confidence they have
not paused to consider the danger
in what they do-if they should
have wrongly estimated the temper
Of the American people.
For, If we now challenge Japan:
If we, joined with the British, place
| complete embargo on all trade
with Japan, guarantee the Neither
land Indies, reinforce our Far East
ern outposts and increase our aid
to China, Japan is trapped.
The results would be of far-reach-
ing, of worldwide Importance For
it would thus be demonstrated that
the new triple axis was thing of
imposing appearance, but hollow
substance; that Japan, having put
her trust in her new allies, found
them powerless to aid her; that, in
fact, the new order" in the world
was the new order of American and
British sea power, not of totalitarian
conquest.
No Fear of Atlantic Peril.
We need not fear such involve
ment in the Far East as shall i'm
peril our position in the Atlantic.
The Germans have no navy, the
Italian navy is no serious threat to
any one outside the Mediterranean
and apparently not much within
| that sea, such ships as 1t has OF
oceanic cruising radius can be dealt
with easily by our Atlantic Fleet as
at present constituted, even If they
escape the British. A German en-
| terprise against Dakar would have
little hope of success if strongly
countered. Our aid to Britain can
continue and increase. for that aid
is little concerned with the battle
fleet which would be our main con-
tribution to dissolving the japanese
mirage. The bases, the troops, the
land-based aircraft needed for this
purpose would be largely contributed
by Britain, Australia, the Neither
lands and India, not to forget the
stout hearted Chinese Army.
Once before there was such an
opportunity-when Italy declared a
state of non-belligerency in Septem-
Der, 1899, while the Germans were
busy in Poland. Had Italy then
been dealt with on the basis of put
up or shut up on 24-hour time
limit, it is long odds that Italy would
not be in the war today, and that a
very different European scene than
the present might have been
achieved.
Now Japan comes in as the mus
ance partner" in the axis. 1t is a
nuisance which should be promptly
abated.
The opportunity is a golden one,
and has been freely presented to
us by those who declare themselves
our foes. We need hardly fear
even having to fight in order to
make the most of it; the rulers Of
Japan are not fools and they are
not out to fight any hopeless wars
for German or Italian advantage
They are rather hoping to exploit
German and Italian necessities in
order to gain their own ends in the
Far East. They should be unde-
ceived. 80. -. -. 60
Must Seize Initiative.
We have learned from this war, II
we have learned anything, the fatal
moral qualities of the defensive
spirit-waiting for the other fel-
low to make all the moves. In
modern war-to wait for your enemy
to move is to adapt yourself to his
will, and to suffer his strokes at
his own carefully selected moment.
This is the way of defeat and
downfall. the way of death. If We
are to survive, we must seize the
chance to take the initiative, to
act, to force our opponents to con-
form to our will. 1t is the last
thing they expect of us and it will
throw them into a confusion from
which they may well never recover.
Half measures will be worse than
useless. Waiting with a threat of
some partial embargo in hand ''in
case Japan attacks the Netherland
Indies" is pure folly. Protests and
notes to keep the record clear are
so much waste paper in the present
crisis. Oriental peoples in particu-
lar understand just one thing and
| that is force. We have the force,
amply superior for the purpose. We
have the British and Dutch bases
and self-interest compels these
people to stand firmly with us. We
have the aid of fighting China
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