Evening star., 1941-04-23
(SeUenth OF q Sertes.)
BY A. T. STEELE,

Chicago Daily News Foreign Correspondent.
BATAVIA, Java (By Clipper -
Like the Chinese in China and the
French in Indo-C China. the Dutch
are learning lot about japanese
methods of negotiation, penetra-
ton and espionage. 1t has killed
whatever interest they may have had
in the new order"
Inf1ammatory articles in the Jap
anese press, Objectionable, ill-timed
statements by japanese statesmen
and militarists, and the blundering
ineptness of the first japanese dele
gates sent here-all these have an
gered the Dutch and intensified
their dislike for Japanese methods.
At least twice the Dutch have
suspended economic conversations
here because of ill-chosen remarks
by Toxic leaders. For instance, when
Foreign Minister Yosuke Matsuoka
sweepingly included the Netherlands
Indies in Japan's new order, the
Dutch called off everything until
they had plainly informed Toxic
they wanted none of it.
Apparently Play for Time.
Yet the economic negotiations
have continued and made progress
despite provocative japanese acts.
From the beginning, the Dutch
game seems to have been to play for
time, in the hope of stalling of
something they don't particularly
want.
There are many other things that
prick the Dutch. They cannot un-
derstand why the Japanese insisted
on sending an emissary of minis
terial rank, with a retinue of 25 fol-
lowers, to perform job which could
as easily have been done by the
Japanese Consul-General in Batavia
and a few clerks. Nor did they like
the attitude of the first mission
(under I. Kobayashi, Minister of In
dustries), which behaved as though
the Indies were already an adjunct
of the Japanese Empire. They ad-
nit, however, that the Kenkichi
YoshiZawa mission is great i'm
provement.
Naval Officer Checked.
The problem of Japanese tour
lists" has been a rather serious one
to the Dutch ever since the fall of
Holland and the axis alliance, which
made every Japanese a potential
enemy agent There was the jap
aneSe naval officer, for instance, who
arrived here completely unan-
nounced, on the apparent aSsump-
ton that the Dutch would not dare
to put obstacles in the way of his
entry. When asked the nature of
his business, he surprised every one
by saying, Naval matters" He
was enraged when the authorities
put him in detention. Only when
the japanese consulate guaranteed
his departure was he released.
Then there was the case of the
mild little japanese traveller who
carried a diplomatic passport and a
briefcase. He told immigration off,
GERS that his interest was education
and that his purpose was to look
over some of Java's institutions of
learning. Asked to name the schools
he proposed to visit, he was nom
plussed. He could not think of one.
The Dutch supplied the little man
with a list and an itinerary. At
every station he was met by the po-
lice, who showed him attention
equaled only by that displayed for
visitors in Japan.
Several unsavory espionage scan
dals involving the Japanese have
been uncovered by the Dutch au-
thorities. Fishing vessels venturing
too deep into Dutch territorial
waters have been often seized on
suspicion of espionage.
China Changes Picture.
Until recent years, there was very
little feeling against the Japanese in
the Netherlands Indies. They con-
fined themselves largely to trade, did
nothing to arouse suspicion and
made no exorbitant demands. But
the japanese invasion of China and
the program of southwark expansion
have completely changed the pic
ture. The tripartite alliance. which
bracketed Japan with Hollands Bit
ter enemy, was just about the last
straw.
To the Dutch, the most objec-
tionable characteristic of the Jap
anese is their clanniShness. When
an American or Briton sets up a
business in the Indies he becomes
a part of the community and runs
his enterprise with a staff drawn
largely from the people of the coun-
try. Not SO with the Japanese. They
surround themselves with as many of