The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1941-03-13

Happenings That Affect the Dinner
Pals, Dividend Checks and Tax
Bills of Every Individual. National
and international Problems Insep-
arabic from Local Welfare.

The attention of the public at
large remains focused on Europe's
war-but the eyes of a good many
lexperts are watching the Far East.
For, these experts think, there is al
most no possibility of our going to
war in Europe in the near future.
But there is very definite possibility
that we may engage in hostilities with
Japan.
This governments attitude toward
Nippon has been undergoing import
ant changes. AS the United States
News puts it, "Attempted appease-
lment Of the japanese finally is end
ed. The United States, hereafter, will
refuse to be frightened by statements
out of Toxic. Vital American inter
ests in the Philippines and in the
Dutch East Indies and British Malaga
are not to be sacrificed without an
effort to defend them. If Japan press
es ahead with her present plans in the
face of American opposition, she
must expect war"
ccpciii ilISalIS W uOlllllldIc JfiC d
lcitic. Her statesmen have said that
lall of Oceania must be brought with
in her sphere of influence. Some feel
that, as an Axis partner, she intends
TO make an attempt on Singapore.
lShe is a definite threat to Australia
and New Zealand She has outfanked
the Philippines, and she is making
angry faces at French Indo China.
And she threatens our supplies of
rubber, tin and tea.
Evidence of Washington's stiffened
policy is found in the almost unani-
Imous House vote in favor of meas
lure to fortify Guam. Not long ago,
a similar proposal was easily defeat
ed. Japan has said that fortifying
Guam would be a warlike act. Chief
Of Naval Operations Stark told Con-
gress that japanese objections should
be totally disregarded."
If we should go to war with japan,
| it is clear that the campaign would
have two phases. First, and perhaps
most important, would be the econ
omic phase. Of all first-class powers,
Japan is the weakest economically.
IShe must import or die. And most of
her imports come from us. We have
enlarged sales to Japan of machine
tools, aviation gasoline and some
grades of scrap iron. But she has
been buying increasing quantities of
our crude oil, cotton, machinery,
timber, and other commodities.
Second step IN economic war against
Japan, after the embargo, would be
a boycott of imports. Japan's great
cash crop is silk. We now buy three
quarters of all her silk production.
If we refused to buy from her, her
economy would be terribly shaken.
According to the u. S. News, if both
Britain and the u. S. were to Join
in the embargo and the boycott, Japan
would find that the source of Is per
cent Of her vital supplies was closed
to her, and that the market for rs
lper cent Of her produce was also gone.
1t is apparent that the economic
weapon could be used against Japan
without formally going to war. How
ever, the experts believe that this
would simply make war inevitable, in
that Japan would have to turn else
where for supplies and markets-and
that she would have to use military
force to get them. If, for instance,
we refused to longer sell her oil, her
logical move would be seizure of the
oiI-rich Dutch islands.
From the strictly military point of
view, our naval authorities have good
reason for believing we could defeat
Japan in combat. Our fleet is larger,
has greater fire power, and is CON
sidered far more efficient. Japanese
cities are extraordinarily vulnerable
to attack. Our fleet has the finest
and largest carrier-based air force in
existence. We could blockade Japan
but Japan could not blockade us.
We could go on indefinitely without
imports. Japan could not. And
Japanese resources-and, some say,
! Japanese civilian morale-havc been
worn thin by the long drawn out war
! in China.
In the event Of naval war with
Japan, it would be logical for us to
use the British base at Singapore
Our own nearest major naval base,
Pearl Harbor, is over 5000 miles from
Manila. The Manila base, Cavete, is
not yet of formidable dimensions. 1t
| is considered certain that the British
would welcome our fleet to Singapore
with open arms.
Japan would go to war with us
under heavy handicaps. That being
true, would she take the chance of
forcing us to fight? The answer to
that is difficult Eastern ways are not
Western ways Japanese samurai
tradition Is something that is utterly
alien to us. A real Japanese thinks
little. of death and disaster-he pre-
ferS it to losing face. Some who have
studied the Japanese character believe
II not unlikely that Japan might at
tack Us, even though she knew she
was certain to lose, in a grand sui
cidal gesture.