Evening star., 1941-12-08
America at War

The American people, despite their
every effort to maintain peace. to-
day are faced once again with the
stark challenge of war-a war which
has been wantonly and treacher-
ously begun.
There can be no slightest doubt
that full responsibility for this
breach Of peace in the Pacific rests
with Japan, upon the shoulders Of
those fanatical men who for ten
years have been pushing the Island
Empire closer and closer to final
test of strength with the United
States. History holds few parallels
to the record of treachery and deceit
which has attended the maneuver-
ings of Japan during the past decade
From the hour of the assault on
China, in 1881, the japanese have
taken unscrupulous advantage of the
decent instincts of other peoples.
The earnest desire of the Western
nations for peace and their long
enduring faith in the efficacy of hon.
orable methods to maintain it have
been seized upon by Japan as ready
instruments for self aggrandizement
While encroaching step by step upon
the rights of others, Japan has
sought to mask her real intentions
by false pledges of good faith-know-
ing full well that the democratic
countries would be slow to act upon
the realization that her deeds were
giving the lie to all professions of
probity.
1t is in keeping with the character
Of this sordid record that Japan's
emissaries in Washington should
have been conducting peace" ne
gotiations with officials of this Gov
ernment up to the very hour that the
first bombs plunged out of a Sun
day morning sky upon the un-
suspecting populace of Hawaii. The
fact-obvious now-that for two
weeks or more Japan had been max
ing aggressive naval dispositions in
the Pacific on the one hand, and
playing for time on the other by
maintaining the pretense of sincere
diplomatic negotiations with the
victim she had already marked out
for assault, merely serves to round
out this picture of consummate du-
plicity
However, now that the blow has
been struck, there is no need to dwell
upon Japan's perfidy The impor-
tant fact is that the Western Pacific
Is in fames-that war which
threatens the very foundations OF
democracy Is in full swing. No gift
OF clairvoyance is required to see
that this new struggle is in reality a
final phase of clash which had its
origin when the first Nazi legions
crossed the Polish frontier two years
and three months ago. That Incl
dent, in a military sense, marked the
beginning of fateful encounter be-
tween the totalitarian philosophy,
representative of mankind's baser
instincts, and the democratic con-
cept, which we hold to be an express
sion of the best that man has been
able to achieve in working out way
Of life. In a word, this clash be-
tween two irreconcilable PHILOSOPHERS.
breaking out in a remote corner Of
Europe, has become a world war tn
the largest sense of that term.
No American will need to be told
OF the magnitude of the stakes in
volved, for it is clear that our future
as a free Nation for many genera
tionS to come will be decided by the
result OF this appeal to arms. Nor
will it be necessary to stress the
weight of the burden that we will
have to carry.
In attacking us, Japan also has
attacked Britain, the Netherlands
and the little kingdom of Thailand.
We may expect that Russia's Siberian
forces likewise will enter the war on
our side. But the mere fact that
allies are numerous should not be
permitted to blind us to the truth
that the major share of the fighting
will devolve upon us. Britain and
Russia already are heavily engaged
at the other end of the totalitarian
Axis. Thailand is negligible factor
in a military sense, and the Dutch
forces in the east, while brave and
able, are limited in strength and
cannot be greatly supplemented. For
these reasons we must look primarily
to our own efforts for our own sal
vation.
Victory will not be easy of attain
ment, and we could make no greater
mistake at the outset of the war than
to fall into the erroneous belief that
Japan will prove to be a weak oppo-
nent. Despite her other involve
ments, her national energies have
been directed primarily toward this
clash with us for many years. For
long period of time she was per-
mitted to draw heavily on American,
resources Of steel, oil, copper and
manufactured products, and we must
expect that these things have been
fashioned into weapons which now
will be turned against us. From