Evening star., 1941-12-15

I existed between the two govern
ments that was fundamentally in
capable of amicable solution" He
added that Japan had mo intention
whatever to provoke and make trou-
BILE with any other power" Our
Secretary of State, Cordell Hull,
replied in kind.
But in spite of this exchange of
friendly sentiments, and almost i'm
mediately thereafter, the acts and
utterances of the Japanese govern
ment began to belle these assurances
at least so far as the rights and
interests of other nations in China
were concerned.
Our Government thereupon ex-
pressed to Japan the view Of the
American people, and of the Amer
the right thus to override the rights
and legitimate interests of other
sovereign states.
The structure of peace which had
been founded upon tie Washing
ton Conference treaties began to be
discarded by Japan. Indeed, in De-
cember of 1884, the Japanese gov
ernment gave notice of its intention
to terminate the naval treaty of
February 6, 1922, which had limited
competition in naval armament. She
thereafter intensified and multiplied
her rearmament program.
Openly Joins Germany
With Pact Against Russia.
In 1886 the government Of Japan
openly associated itself with Ger
many by entering the anti-Comin-
tern pact.
This pact, as we all know, was
nominally directed against the Sow
let Union; but its real purpose was
to form league Of fascism against
the free world, particularly against
Great Britain, France and the
United States.
Following this association of Ger
many, Italy and Japan, the stage
was now set for an unlimited cam
paign Of conquest. In July, 1887,
feeling themselves ready, the armed
forces of Japan opened new large
scale military operations against
China. Presently, her leaders, drop
ping the mask of hypocrisy, publicly
declared their intention to seize and
maintain for Japan dominant posi-
ton in the entire region of Eastern
Asia, the Western Pacific and the
Southern Pacific.
They thus accepted the German
thesis that 100000 or 10000, 900
Germans were by race, training,
ability and might, superior in every
way to any other race in Europe
superior to about 400, ,00O, 900 other
human beings in that area. And
Japan, following suit, announced
that the 7G,000,000 or 10000, 900 Japa-
nese people were also superior to the
TOO 10000 or 300, 1000, 900 other inhabi-
tantS Of the Orient-nearly all of
whom were infinitely older and more
developed in culture and civilization
than themselves. Their conceit
would make them masters of a re-
gion containing almost one-half the
population of the earth. 1t would
give them complete control of vast
sea lanes and trade routes of i'm
portance to the entire world.
Americans Were Killed,
Wounded, Abused.
The military operations which fol-
lowed in China flagrantly disre-
garded American rights. Japanese
armed forces killed Americans.
They wounded or abused American
men, women and children. They sank
American vessels-including a naval
vessel, the Panay. They bombed
American hospitals, churches, schools
and missions. They destroyed Amer
lean property. They obstructed, and
in some cases, drove out American
commerce.
In the meantime. they were in
f1lct1ng lncalcuable damage upon
China and ghastly suffering upon
the Chinese people. They were in
f1icting wholesale injuries upon other
nations-flouting all the principles
OF peace and good will among men.
There are attached hereto lists of
American nationals killed or wound
ed by japanese forces in China since
July Z, 1887; Of American property
in China reported to have been dam
aged, destroyed or seriously endan-
gered by japanese air bombing or
air machine cunning; of American
nationals reported to have been as
saulted, arbitrarily detained or sub
jected to indignities; of interferences
with American nationals rights and
interests. These lists are not COM
plete. However, they are ample evi-
dence of the fragrant japanese
disregard Of American rights and
civilized standards.
II,
Meanwhile, brute conquest was on
the rampage in Europe and the
Mediterranean.
Hitler and Mussolini embarked
upon scheme of unlimited con-
quest. Since 1885, without provoca-
ton or excuse they have attacked,
conquered, and reduced to economic
and political slavery some Is inde-
pendent nations This machinery set
up for their unlimited conquest in
cluded, and still includes, not only
enormous armed forces, but also
huge organizations for carrying on
plots, intrigue, intimidation, propa-
ganda and sabotage. This machine
unprecedented in Size-has world
wide ramifcations; and into them
the Japanese plans and operations
have been steadily interlocked.
AS the forces of Germany, italy
and Japan increasingly combined
their efforts over these years, I was
convinced that this combination
would ultimately attack the United
States and the Western Hemisphere
if it were successful in the other
continents. The very existence of
the United States as a great free
people, and the free existence of the
American family of nations in the
New World, would be a standing
challenge to the Axis. The Axis die
tators would choose their own time
to make it clear that the United
States and the New World were in
cluded in their scheme of destruc-