Evening star., 1942-08-08


world opinion. David Lawrence
This is particularly serious
charge against the japanese because
thev have been assiduously cultl-
waiting the impression that they are
a civilized people.
But the japanese completely mis-
understand Anglo Saxon ideals and
concepts of fair play. They do not
realize, perhaps, that IN olsregaro-
ing the simple rules OF sportsman
shin in the treatment Of prisoners
during the present war, they tend
for all times to brand themselves as
hardly the equals of enlightened
peoples. The Japanese have sought
to attain racial equality. 1t is
sensitive point with them, but they
have set their country's position
hack by decades of time through
their maltreatment of innocent per-
sons.
Another Blot Bigger.
The biggest blot on the national
character of the japanese people
however, is not simply the baroarlc
behavior of their police but their
vicious manner in which the MILL
tarists in charge of the Toxic gov
ernment on December 7 handled the
severance of relations with the
United States Government.
This correspondent in a dispatch
earlier this year quoted Frederick
Moore, an American attache OF the
Japanese Embassy who resigned
when the Pearl Harbor attack came,
as saying that Admiral Nomura and
Special Envoy Kurusu sought an
engagement with Secretary Hull at
10 am. December 7, but were not
granted an audience until after !
nm, at which hour the japanese.
according to the report Of Justice
Roberts, had scheduled their sew
erance of relations.
Mr.. Moore says his recollection
on this point was hazy due to the
hectic events of that morning and
that he was probably mistaken on
this point. He does recall that the
Japanese spent the forenoon de-
coding their message from Toxic,
finishing about 1890 pm.
Hull Clarifies Time.
Secretary Hull tells the writer
that his records show the Japanese
did not ask for the engagement until
a half hour or so before ! o'clock
and that they themselves set the
time for LAS pm. The attack came
at 1:25 pm, Washington time.
Whether the japanese officials in
Washington did or did not know
the attack at Hawaii was coming
is beside the point. The fact is
that even if they intended to pre-
sent the message at l o'clock and
didn't finish DECIDING it in time,
the japanese government crudely
believed that the amenities of civil
lied practice were being observed
by notifying us at pm. and at
tacking us a few minutes later.
The Japanese will pay dearly for
this misconception of the rules Of
fair play which civilized nations
have always followed in allowing
a reasonable time to elapse between
the severance of relations and a
declaration of war. For the Japa-
nese blunder aping as it does Hit
ier's similar trick in attacking
Poland without giving the Polish
Ambassador in Berlin a chance to
present the reply of his govern
ment, merely means that both
Japan and Germany cannot be per-
mitted again to put other nations
in constant jeopardy of a sudden
attack. If nations must keep armies
and navies and air forces on the
alert constantly against momentary
attack, the cost to the world will
be colossal and back breaking.
There is only one way" remarked
Undersecretary Sumner Welles to
me the other day in this connection
ito prevent that sort of thing ano
that's by disarmament of potential
aggressors.'
Governments which violate the
rules Of fair play and who resort tc
attack rather than the processes o.
reason to settle disputes pay in tht
end for their folly. All that Japar
might have gained by an economic
partnership with China and Japar
and the United States in developing
the great resources Of the Far Eas
was lost when the Toxic militarist
decided to cast their lot with Hitler
The japanese in the end will b,
forced to exhaustion by process
of military and economic attritior
Their misguided leaders have for
feited for Japan the respect ant
esteem of civilized peoples. TIL
mistreatment of prisoners can onl
result in peace treaty far NOR
harsh for the japanese people thai
they might otherwise have obtaine'
at the end of a war fought unde
the accepted rules of internationa
conventions.
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