Evening star., 1941-08-07

Sasssss - curious to know
McLemore. Just exactly
what tie-up this country has with
Japan.
Apparently, the only way to get
this information is to mingle with
the ivy vines that climb on the State
Department Building and sneak a
listen to a conversation between
Cordell Hull and Sumner Welles and
other bigwigs of the foreign policy
bureau.
I don't want to spend the rest
of my life in jail, but I'd be willing
to risk a short stretch in the Gala
boose to learn the real reason for
this country's kid-glove treatment
of the Japanesep
Aren't you a bit curious about
why we are so hard-boiled with
Germany and Italy and so consider
ate Of their side-kick, Japan? Have
YOU never wondered why this coun-
try carries a blackjack for Hitler
and Mussolini, and only powder
puff for the sawed-of sons Of the
Rising Sun?
Sure, you have, because 1t doesn't
add up, no matter what view you
take, be 1t worms eye, birds eye,
or black eye.
Japan is in the Axis, there can
be no mistake about that.
It's Berlin to Rome to Toxic just
as it was Tinker to Evers to Chance.
Every week or so the japanese make
a great to-do with redeclaration
of their partnership with Hitler
and Mussolini. This gives them an
active membership in the Inter
national Society of Cutthroats, and,
for the life of me, L don't see why
we aren't just as bitter toward them
as we are toward their buddies in
international crime.
Too, isn't Japan fighting our pal,
China? Why isn't Japan's war
with China just as real to us as
Germany's with Great Britain? If
everything was strictly on the up
and-up, 1t would be. There wouldn't
be any partiality shown.
But there is.
ANY American with the 7. @. OF
a retarded mountain goat can see
that.
A blast against Adolf and Benito
is the order of the day in Wash
ington. You can almost set your
watch by the attacks on these two
homespun scoundrels. That's fine,
and makes mighty good reading.
But how many scorching attacks on
Japan have you read? How often
does Washington swing "a hay
maker from the floor against the
Emperor and Konoye and the other
chopstick chappies?
About once in blue moon, and
even then the reprimand is usually
couched in language that wouldn't
hurt the feelings of sensitive but
terf1y. True, we put the freeze on
them, but that is measure that Is
as double e-barreled as a shotgun.
They put it right back on us. We
had no sooner put their assets in
the refrigerator than they stuck ours
right in the cooler alongside the
butter and green salad.
This country didn't get too het up
over the recent bombing of our
gunboat, Tutuila, at Chungking b.
japanese airplanes. The Japanese
Ambassador, Admiral Kichisaburo,
just popped on his high hat and il
a I0-minute talk with Mr.. Welles,
Strengthened everything oat. The
admiral undoubtedly gave polite and
solemn assurances that such an
accident wouldn't happen again
until next time.
So you see why 1 want TO do 4
little eavesdropping. I want TO
know the reason for this considera-
ton of Japan. I am beginning to
feel that the japanese know about
some skeleton in our national closet
and are practicing some sort OF
oceanic blackmail.
The Government is wrong, be-
lieve, in not letting the citizens in
on the know. They may not know
it in the Capital but the country
has the feeling that any alarm over
Japan's actions is foolish, and that
even if it wakes up some morning
and finds the Mississippi filled with
japanese cruisers, that the Govern
ment has probably arranged for it
In the name of good, clean inter-
national fun.
If the japanese really are our
pals, why not tell us so?
There's no sense in our wasting
our anger.
After all, we may need it later on.
- NsnNau1ht Gvrd{rataA