Evening star., 1941-07-24
AmericunNut
Security Seen
Threatened
(Tert OF WelleS' Statement
Page AZ
By GARNETT d. HORNER.

American national security Is
directly threatened by Japan's
latest move into Indo-China
Acting Secretary of State Sum-
ner Welles said today, in de-
nouncing Japan as an aggressor
In French Indo-China.
Mr.. Welles explained that steps
being taken by the japanese endan-
ger the Philippine Islands, peaceful
use by this and other peaceful ma
tions of the Pacific Ocean and tend
to jeopardize procurement of essen
tial raw materials for the defense
program from the South Pacific
regions.
In asserting that Japan's action
in forcing France to grant her mill
tary and naval concessions in
Southern Indo-China was obviously
a preliminary to further japanese
drive for conquest, Mr.. Welles de-
clared there was no ground for
Japan to claim the measures as
self defense. fatty denying Axis re-
ports that any move was planned by
Britain or this country against
1ndo- China
He said the sense of the view eX-
pressed in the statement he made
public today had been communi-
Gated yesterday to the Japanese Am
bassador here, Admiral Kichisaburo
Nomura.
No Comment on Sanctions.
The acting secretary added he had
no comment to make at this time
on reports that this government was
planning economic sanctions and
other reprisals against the japanese
occupation of strategic air and naval
bases in Indo-China.
He said it was evident the action
being taken by Japan was aimed at
establishing bases in South Indo-
China for purposes of further and
more obvious movements of con-
quest in adjacent areas"
Further Japanese moves from
1ndo-China bases obviously would
be toward the Netherlands Indies
and the British naval base at Singa-
pore
Mr.. Welles remarked, perhaps sig
nifcantly. that the purchase of tin,
rubber, oil and other raw materials
in the Pacific area had never been
denied Japan on equal terms with
other nations, in connection with his
warning that the present japanese
action might cut off American sup
plies of such materials from the
East Indies.
This reference might be inter-
preted as an indirect warning that
shipments of oil and other materials
which have been going to Japan
from this country may be cut of in
reprisal.
Cites Hull Testimony.
AS a preliminary to his statement
today, Mr.. Welles cited portions of
Secretary of State Hull's testimony
before the House Foreign Affairs
Committee on the lease-lend bill
January Is, in which the Secretary
asserted:
1T has been clear throughout that
Japan has been actuated from the
start by broad and ambitious plans
for establishing herself in a domi-
nant position in the entire region
of the western Pacific"
Mr.. Welles recalled previous Jap
anese expressions of a desire for
maintenance of the status quo in the
Pacific and this Governments in
sistence that any upset of the situa-
tion there would endanger the secur-
fly of the entire Pacific area.
Earlier in the day, the United
States and Great Britain were re-
ported poised for swift and drastic
counteraction against Japanese oc-
cupation Of the Indo-China bases.
Indications both here and in Lon
don were that the American Gov
ernment stood ready to impose
sweeping economic restrictions on
(see FAR EAST, Page AID