Evening star., 1941-09-21
Japanese Are Taking Over
In o-Chino on N0zi Pattern
Groduo! MonopoIizine of Rubber and Rice
Source Held Major Loss to Allied Cause

we'll what a combination of this
sort would eventually mean and is
trying to postpone or avoid such a
fatal step. How long it will be able
| to do so Is problematical. Few OBJ
servers question that once the Jap
anese have wormed their way into
one or two big French companies
accentuated development along
these lines will result.
Curbs on French Increase.
japanese military control, again
after the fashion of the Nazis' mil
itary control over European coun-
tries, inevitably imposes increasing
restrictions on Indo-China's eco
nomic activities.
Air France is no longer able to
accept any one who Is in a posi-
ton to purchase tickets as a client.
The Japanese military has laid
down ruling that the French air.
line can only carry French and
Japanese passengers, with the ex-
ception of diplomats or such for
eign applicants as the japanese au-
thorities may approve. Indirect NaZi
control Of Rumania'S economic life,
including German domination of the
Rumanian steel trust-Resita-a
the Rumanian oil fields was exer-
cised year ago along exactly the
same lines.
The censorship of press Dispatch
eS from Indo-China remains in the
hands of the French authorities. but
they have recently been forced to
tighten censorship radically accord
ing to formulae which are dictated
BY the Japanese. As a result no
foreign correspondent stationed in
Saigon can now SO much as mention
the fact that Nipponese troops are
garrisoned in the colony. This fol-
lows the classic Nazi procedure
whereby the Norwegians. Rumani-
ans, Yugoslavs and others were
forced to install censorship con-
forming with the interests of their
conquerors.
Racial Consciousness.
Meanwhile, the Japanese are max
ing pronounced efforts to win the
sympathies of the Indo-Chinese ma
tives and turn them against the
French, but with little apparent
success to date. japanese propa-
ganda attempts to arouse color con-
sciousness among the natives and
persuade them that Japan's chief
desire is to liberate all Asia from
white domination.
Tough business. like the uncom-
promising appearance of Nipponese
troops. does not help this propagan-
da, however, because the French in
general have avoided resort to force
in ruling Indo-China and rarely
have made a fanfare or disply Of
military might. However much
many natives may have resented the
presence of the French and Japa-
nese military behavior is so striking
it offers plenty of food for reflection.
These are simply the first straws
in the wind. but they clearly show
Tokio's intentions of pressing its
campaign for the economic domina-
ton of Indo-China as fast as Ja-
pans tightening hold on the country
will permit.
Indo-C China is the third largest
exporter of rubber in the world and
in 1899 produced one e-fourth of the
worlds rice exports. The same year
nearly half of her $4,000 metric tons
of exported rubber went to the
United States. The American Gov
ernment is trying to retain fulfill
ment of contracts for important
amounts of Indo-Chinese rubber
during the coming months. That
depends upon both Vichy's willing
ness to collaborate and Tokio's toll
erance. For the Allied-Democratic
cause, Indo-China represents the
easiest kind of loss.