Evening star., 1942-04-22
BY GEORGE WELLER,


war Correspondent Of The star and
cnieaEo Daily News.
SOMEWHERE IN AUSTRALIA,
April 22.-The strange story of por-
tuguese Ttmor. that fragmentary
half-island where Americas and
Britain's diplomacy suddenly woke
up to the Japanese surge southwark
and decided TO do something about
II. Ia known at last.
The Japs manipulated their way
beautifully through French Indo-
China and Thailand without draw
ing any more than wrist slaps. But
after Pearl Harbor and Alor Star
(Kedah, Malay Peninsula). the Al
lied war councils decided that the
Portuguese part of Timor-an island
Of which the largest part belongs
10 Dutch Indonesia-should not be
permitted to fall lIndisputed into jap
hands. After diplomatic converse =
tons with Lisbon had Snootned the
way as much as possible with the
stubbornly neutral Portuguese Pre-
mier DR.. Antonio de Oliveira Sala-
Ear. Timor's Portuguese portion was
occupied by Australian and Dutch
troops.
For about six weeks Portuguese
Tfmor remained In Allied hands.
Then the Jap feet appeared and
simultaneously with q giant para
chutist attack on Koepang, capital
OF the Dutch part OF Timor, the
Portuguese half also fell into Nip
pon's hands.
what actually happened during
the peaceful Allied change over and
japanese seizure by force has hith-
erto remained unknown. Your cor
respondent sought in vain for clues
TO details Of this series of changes
oy diplomacy and force. but since
communications with the island
were always most terse, little until
now could be found out. Yet.
T1mor's fate is most interesting be-
cause Portugal Is the remotest of
the Pacific colonial systems-Brit-
isn, French and Dutch-originatinr
In Europe, which are now crumbling
under Japan's eager grasp.
Furnishes Object Lesson.
Japan will never willingly return
Portuguese Tfmor unless 1t con-
tinueS to hold the bases of Ambon
(Amboina, Dutch island base $50
miles northeast Of Koepang) and
koepang. The United States. al
though tacitly aware that the pre-
war colonial systems cannot be re-
created exactly as they were, has not
yet assumed political responsibility
in the South Pacific befitting its
new-found heavy military obliga-
tions.
Portuguese Timor, being weaker
than any other unit in the European
colonial systems in the South Pa
cif1c, whose defects are now part OF
the American peoples war burden
furnishes an object lesson In what
happens when three systems, name
ly, the old European colonial.
Japan's new order, and Americas
nascent South Pacific order, collide.
Portuguese Timor's story, which
your correspondent Is able to pre-
sent here for the first time, proves
that Japan's attack on Portuguese
Timor had been already envisaged
in the defensive plans Of 1t. Gen.
Helm ter Poorten, Netherlands
Indies commander in chief, and It
was early planned that both Timors
should be defended together.
As early as last October the oc-
cupation Of Portuguese Timor was
openly discussed in Dutch and Aus
tralian military circles as q measure
Of protection for Indonesia and Aus
tralia.
Size Of Massachusetts,.
The diplomatic groundwork for
this protective measure, over an
area approximately the size OF Mas
sachusetts with about SOC, 900 ma
tives ruled by some 500 Portuguese
administrators. was laid In London
and Lisbon In q spirit surprisingly
cooperative considering the urgency
Of the situation. Portugal allowed
the occupation without either sane
tioning or disspproving it. But the
agreement made after the exchange
of visits to the Lisbon and Lendon