Evening star., 1941-07-24
Roosevelt Says Policy
Hos Kept japan From
War Two Years
By JOHN c. HENRY.

lations, particularly the much
discussed selling of oil to the Far
Eastern empire, have been
largely responsible for maintain
ing peace in the Pacific in the
last two years, President RooSe-
welt said today.
In effect, he said the United States
had allowed Japan to obtain oil
from this country so she would not
60 into the Netherlands Indies to
obtain it.
The Chief Executive made his
explanation of the relationship
which has frequently been described
as an appeasement by this Govern
ment of the Oriental partner of the
Axis in a brief informal speech to
members of the Volunteer Partici-
patton Committee at an organiza-
ton meeting of that group at the
White House.
The Presidents remarks actually
were made approximately an nour
before Acting Secretary of State
Sumner Welles bitterly denounced
japanese policies in the Pacific.
Explains Policies.
Leading into his rather surprising
explanation of past American policy
toward Japan, Mr.. Roosevelt re-
marked that many American citizens
may be asking why they should
curtail civilian consumption of gaso-
line while reading that great quanti-
ties are being shipped Simultaneous
ly to Japan.
THE answer" he said, sis a very
simple one. There is a world wal
going on and there has been fol
nearly two years. One of our efforts
from the very beginning. was to pre-
vent the spread of that world wal
In certain areas where it hadnt
started. One of those areas is g
place called the Pacific Ocean
There happened to be a place ir
the South Pacific where We had tc
get lot of things-rubber tin ano
so forth. down in the Dutch Indies
the Straits Settlements and Indo-
China. And we had to help get the
Australian surplus of wheat. meat
and corn for England
1T was very essential from our
own selfish point of view of defense
to prevent a war from starting in
the South Pacific so our foreign
policy was-trying to stop wal
from breaking out down there.
Peace Essential.
AT the same time. even from the
point of view of France at that time
We wanted to keep that line of sup
plies from Australia to New Zealand
going to the Near East; all theil
| troops. all their supplies that they
had maintained in Syria, North
Africa and Palestine So it was
essential for Great Britain that we
try to keep the peace down there ir
the South Pacific.
"All right. And now here is ma
ton called Japan. Whether they
had at that time aggressive purposes
to enlarge their empire southwark
they didn't have any oil of their own
up in the north. Now. if We cut the
oil off they probably would have
gone down to the Dutch East Indies
year ago and you would have had
war.
Therefore, there was a
method in letting this oil go to
Japan, with the hope-and it has
worked for two years-of keeping
war out of the South Pacific for our
own good, for the good of the de-
fense of Great Britain and the free
dom of the seas"
Non-Political Effort.
Addressing the men and women
for the volunteer group just before
they began a day-long session under
| leadership of Director La Guardia
of the Office of Civilian Defense,
President Roosevelt emphasized that
they were engaged in a thoroughly
non-political effort.
About this question of politics. ="
he said, somebody may start it.
Don't bring it to me. You are
Americans. You don't belong to any
party in this work"
Mr.. Roosevelt explained that there
are two principal parts to the work
facing the civilian defense organiza-
ton. One of these is quasi-military
such requirements as preparing air.
raid alarms and organizing relief
efforts. The second is the spreading
of information and education about
the war and its causes.