Evening star., 1941-12-07
How the United Stotes
Equipped japan for War
By OWen L. Scott.

Pacific there will be little argument
about the responsibility, probably never
in history have the responsible officials
of one nation been as patient in dealing
with another nation as President Roose-
welt and Secretary of State Cordell Hull
have been with Japan.
This patience has been shown through
out the past eight years. 1t is apparent
in just about every known variety OF
consultation. 1t has been a patience so
long suffering that if now there Is to
be shooting, the United States will be
at disadvantage in some respects due
to past efforts to please the Japanese.
Certainly there is little or nothing in
the record to suggest that President
Roosevelt has sought fight in the
Pacific.
As matters now stand Japan probably
is better supplied with reserves of vital
war materials than any other nation.
She is reported on very good authority
to be prepared to fight for between one
and two years on the stocks OF oil,
metal and machinery that she stored
up. The bulk of this material was sup
piled by the United States at time
when this countrys own war industries
we're being allowed to deteriorate.
A japanese Navy that now might move
out to fight the United States Navy
would be a navy built largely OF Amer
ican materials. Some armor plate for
Japanese battleships was made in this
country. The oil that drives the engines
of Japans Navy is largely American oil,
and the aviation gasoline that provides
fuel for Japan's airplanes Is largely
American gasoline.
Japan's war industry today is using
scrap iron and scrap steel from immense
stockpiles built up through purchases In
this country The American steel In
dustrv is suffering from shortages OF
scrap due in important part to the
amount Of this metal that was allowed
| to 20 to Japan. At the same time, the
machinery used in Japan's war Industry
| is American machinery to an important
extent.
| 1t is almost as though this country,
by its policies of recent years, had ouiit
| up an army. navy and air force in Japan
ONLY to find that its own creation WAS
turning out to be an enemy.
All of this was done to buy japanese
friendship. That effort obviously did not
succeed. When Japan Joined the AXIS
] few months ago President Roosevelt
/ finally decided that the time had come
to stop selling her the vast quanuties OF
| oil. gasoline, steel copper and machinery
that this country had been selling TO her
so that Japan could build immense
stockpiles Of war materials.
Then it was too late. Japan had built
her navy up to its present peak strength.
She had fortified many Of the PACING
islands that she had agreed not to
fortify. She had moved into POSITIONS
that threatened to flank the American
outpost in the Philippines. She was IN
a position to strike at the one remaining
supply line into China.
Yet to show again this country S
patience, MI Roosevelt and Mr.. Hull
have agreed in the past few days to
| omen American markets to Japan II
onlv the japanese would agree to accept
a few basic principles that must underlle
|
tions. The japanese government ap-
peared not to be interested It professed
to be offended by the prospect Of an op-
portunity to regain prosperity and sta
bility, preferring instead to take on the
hazards of test Of strength.
The Japanese, relatively, are stronger
today than they probably ever will be
again.
The reasons are several. For one thing
Japan's Navy is reported to be bringing
into service two new battleshlps that
are larger and faster and more heavily
armed than any in the British or Amer
ican Navies. These battleships, of course
are built principally Of American ma
terials At the same time the United
States Navy is divided in order to carry
on its Atlantic patrol. That division
permits a concentration of battleshiI
strength in the Pacific, but leaves the
Pacific feet short of destroyers and OF
cruisers
Likewise Japan's air force Is about a.
far advanced as it ever is going to be
while the United States Is only nov
swinging into stride.
Every day that passes finds the United
States growing stronger. War industrie:
in this country are beginning now tc
produce. Aircraft production is above
1000 a month, while Japan has trouble
turning out each month $50 planes o.
now antiquated design. American ship
yards are grinding out merchant ship
and naval vessels in numbers that soor
will begin to be very impressive. Th'
new American Army is taking form ane
American tanks and guns are startin,
to flow out of factories in a stream tina
permits diversion of some Of them to tn,
Chinese.
While this is going on, the Japanes
see that they are being forced to ca
into the stockpiles Of American material
that they built up in the past Ono
those stockpiles are reduced there won
be new materials to I'LL the gaps. Il
, other words, Japan's days are numbere
unless, first, she is willing to resum
friendly relations with this country, o.
second. she is able to crash through t
. conouests in the Pacific that will ope
to ner the sources of raw materials tina
now are closed.
1t seems that in Japan. where the de
cision is being taken, there are thre
groups, each representing point Of vieV
One group. representing the conservativ
elements in business and finance, ha
wanted to ~esume friendly relations wit
the United States. A second groul
= re,resenting less conservative element