The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1941-02-17

attached 10 the
Admiral Nomura offer. This con-
dition will be
that Uncle Sam mustn't interfere
with the Mikados peace-making
activities between Siam and French
China.
This particular sample Of peace
making has been rather funny.
The Siamese (or Thailanders, as
it's becoming fashionable to call
them have long maintained that
the French in Indo-China once
grabbed a considerable slice Of
siam, along the border between
the two areas, and Indo-Chinesed
IL, as their own. With France In
its present state Of disorganization
at home, Siam deemed the time
ripe to recover its lost territory
and undertook to do so forcibly.
Frances Indo Chinese colonial
forces resisted. Ugly fighting
started.
Greatly panied by so vicious an
exhibition, Toxic proffered its good
Offices to mediate the dispute.
No Compromise
Not wanting to compromise, the
Siamese didn't like the idea They
were afraid 10 offend the Japs,
however; so consented. The French
didn't take to the notion, either,
but Herr Hitler told the Vichy
government that it had to acqui-
esce in the plan; so the French.
too, submitted.
Thereupon, in the kindliest way,
Toxic framed up a Siamese-Indo-
Chinese armistice under the terms
Of which Japan gets the disputed
territory - and more, too. This
arnniStice remains TO be developed
into a formal, permanent treaty,
but that's bound to follow unless
some outside power (Which will be
the United States, II anybody
butts into the negotiations. To
keep the United States from doing
80 is why Tokio's developed its to-
days affability in our direction.
Our best strategists in WASH
ington are under no delusion that
the Japs think they won't clash
with US ultimately, but they don't
care to do so yet.
It's taken for granted that their
scheme, at the moments juncture,
is to consolidate their position
where they are. The place is an
excellently situated springboard
for Jap jump for the Dutch East
Indies, the Philippines and maybe
Australia and India But their
plan might be badly muSsed up by
a premature clash with Uncle
Samuel. They're not ready for it.
Not in Harmony
It's Just at this point that To-
kio's policy fails to harmonic with
Herr Hitlers.
Adolf, all our state departments
observers agree land so do the
London foreign ofhce's) is exceed
ingly anxious TO involve the United
States in fight with Japan, in or
der to keep us too busy in the Pa
cifc to continue helping the British
on our Atlantic side. It's reasoned
that that was his main purpose in
taking the Japs in as Axis part
ners.
II likewise Is calculated that he
hoped the Japs' grab in Siam and
Indo-China would provoke US into
hopping on en- That presumably
is why he blackjacked the Vichy
government into submitting to Jap
arbitration Of the Siamese-F Franco
lndo-Chinese rumpus-not that he
was much interested in that espe-
cial quarrel. but that he reckoned
the United States would try to
veto the Japs' program, that the
Japs would resent it and that a
Jap-American war would start
forthwith.
Clearly, he didn't want Toxic 10
adopt a placatory attitude toward
US. He wanted US TO tell the Japs
that we wouldn't stand for what
they were attempting; then to
have them tell US to go plumb to
hades; then 10 have US begin
shooting at one another.
Hitler Outsmnrtcd
The Japs appear TO have out.
diplomatized him.
They went into the Axis be-
cause, evidently. they figured it
would be helpful to 'em In connec-
ton with their Pan-Asiatic ambi-
tons, took advantage OF his pres
sure on vlchy relative to the Sia-
mese Indo = Chinese border and
then, instead Of sassing US, as
Adolf had expected, do their best
10 be friendly with US.
Scarcely needful to say, their
politeness is merely superficial and