The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1942-02-21

hnA-A0fk NA.N AAAA-ANAA - 80
and, an Asiatic
himself. there are the brightest
hopes that hs'll be very successful.
He presumably considered 1t eH-
tremely necessary. too. for he nat
urally is tremendously busy az
home and isn't much of traveller,
anyway. He's highly efficient ne
gotiator. though. and understands
the psychology Of the folk he's IN
consultation with as no Occidental
prstends 10 know en-.
India, to he sure, is a British
dominion, and a goodly number Of
native troops are hghtlng Loyalty
in John Bulls ranks Nevertheless,
a pretty large percentage OF its
population are we'll known TO want
independence a lot more than they
care for a United Nations victory.
And that's what Japan unques-
t!oaably is promising them II they
will be at least friendly 70 the
Mikado. That Tokioll keep such
a pledge isn't deemed bit likely
but II may convince EN- tempo
rarily, for all that. Chang proba-
bly, is the best spokesman available
to prove 10 them that Nippon's
word isn't TO be trusted overnight.
Why It's Urgent
The situations urgent, due to
evidence that the Nazis and Jsps
aim to join hands, If they can,
across southern ASia-the Ger
mans by a thrust through Egypt.
Iraq and Iran, and the Japs by
water, UP from Singapore. It's IN
India that they'd need to effect
their junction, and naturally an &C
quiescent local populace would be
vastly important to them.
Japan hasn't been regarded as a
particularly reliable ally Of the
Germans hitherto. The Japs have
had their own detectives and have
been attaining them with unpless-
ant regularity and without German
help. Consequently II has been as
sumed that they'd grab all they
could get and then leave Germany
holding the Nszi sack. This idea
hasn't been abandoned yet, as a
long run proposition. Just row,
however, the Teutons may be in a
position TO be decidedly useful to
them for a while.
The recently escaped battleships
Schsrnhorst and Gneisenau and
the cruiser Prinz Eugen, loose in
the Atlantic, with whatever other
combat craft Herr Hitler perhaps
can scare up, are liable to make
the western democracies so much
trouble in that ocean that they
won't have enough strength left
over to attend to the Pacific and
adjacent waters which are of chief
interest to the Japs.
The latter, it's accepted az a
foregone conclusion, have an eye on
India also. That's an area in which
the Naz.s, combining with them,
would leave them freer to continue
operation in the Dutch Indies and
Australasia direction. Then, later,
presumably they'd try to kick the
Germans back from the mainland
peninsula, subjugate the peninsula
itself and concentrate on the con-
quest Of China. They couldn't az
ford, though. 10 be overly bothered
by midas sikhs and assorted ad-
ditional warlike tribes while all
this was going on. Those chaps
are noted fighters and their num-
bers run up into the millions.
Hence Jap overtures to Sikhisn
and all the rest.
Here's where Chang Kai-shek
enters into the equation.
Chang knows how to talk 10
those boys.
Chang a. Diplomat
Up to date he and his Chinese
have been a military proposition,
but, even in that capacity, they've
required plenty OF assistance. They
have NJ n power and soldierly
qualifications, but their supplies
have had to be furnished to them
from outside.
Today. though. Chisng's chip
ping IN, in role in which the aie's
the other way about. He's doing II
as a diplomatic em,ssery-a United
Nations representative in India,
and a far better one than any OF
the rest Of the United Nations
could furnish on their own various
accor~ts.
Here In the U. S A. we're about
e. little acquainted with India as
we are with the moon-maybe less
so. for at least We can see the
moon az night.
The English are acquainted
there, but they're disliked.
Chiang's almost one Of them.
II he can spike that Jap-Nazi
Junction on Indian soil, he'll darned
nearly be entitled to the presidency
Of the United Nations. or the chair.