The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1942-01-08

National and International Problems
Inseparable from Local Welfare

Everyone must realize by now that
the Japanese-Amercan war is not an
isolated conflict in the Pacific, without
bearing on the wars that are going on
elsewhere in the world. When the
Japanese attacked Oahu without
warnings, they were simply carrying
out their part of a tremendous plan
for world domination that in all like
|lihood was framed in Berlin. The
Iamazing efficiency with which the Jap
|blitzkrieg was delivered, suggests a
German High Command influence.
|Japan's war leaders have never been
famous for surprise and subtlety. The
Germans, on the other hand, have
proven themselves masters Of STRAIT
|egy, and it is very probable that Ger
man staff officers had much to do with
laying out the pattern of attack.
AS the President has said, this war
lis primarily war against Nazism
and everything else is incidental to
that. The reasons for Germany doing
Everything in her power to provoke
an American-Japanese war, are clear.
First, actual American involvement in
a major shooting war will mean that,
for the time being at least, American
lend-lease aid to the Allies will be re-
duced. 1t may also be necessary for
both America and Britain to transfer
naval strength from the Atlantic to
the Pacific.
Second, if Japan can succeed in her
drive to isolate this country from the
Far East, the Axis powers will have
control OF immense quantities of vital
war materials, of which oil is the most
important. For example, the Dutch,
rulers of rich Batavia, are putting up
Ia fine fight but they simply haven't
the manpower, the ships or the equip
lment to fight on alone. Their forces
act as adjuncts of British-American
forces. If British American power
were destroyed in the Far East, the
Dutch would be through.
1t has long been said that this coun-
try should be able to defeat Japan in
a very brief period of time That
might be true if it were possible to
concentrate all American fighting
force and production capacity on the
prosecution of Pacific war. But we
must maintain an Atlantic fleet of
considerable size to help the British
in combating the U-boat menace. And
the President has said that aid to our
Allies will continue, even though it
may be temporarily on reduced
scale. 1t is known that Japan has for
years built up reserves of war ma
terials. Some think that she has
enough on hand TO last for a full
years all-out fighting.
The Japanese are fanatical fighters,
and their Samurai tradition holds
that a man who dies in battle will go
to an Asiatic Valhalla in which all is
milk and honey. Therefore, it is only
the part Of wisdom for this country
to expect long war-a war in which
there will be serious reverses no less
than great victories.
The loss of one American and two
British battleships, along with a num-
Der of lesser warcraft, is admittedly
serious. But it is by no means fatal,
as the German-ltalian- Japanese radio
networks are saying. Our fleet alone
is much larger than the Japanese, and
it is said to have greater fire power,
speed and armor, judged on a ship
for-ship basis. The combined Ameri-
can and British fleets outnumber the
japanese fleet by more than two for
lone. However, both Britain and the
~. S. must keep major naval units
elsewhere, while Japan has her entire
force in the Pacific, and this, of
course, materially cuts down our
naval supremacy.
In the long run, most authorities
think, this will come down to war
!of resources war Of oil production,
steel capacity, etc. Here our edge
lover economically poor Japan is tre-
mendous. But even if Japan should
collapse, Hitler, with all the resources
|of Europe, will remain. And the de-
Istruction of Hitlerism is the an
nounced goal of all the Allies. None
think that can be done easily.
In the meantime, the Allies have
much to be cheerful about. The Rus
slams have done the apparently inn
possible in not only holding off the
German legions, but in actually fore
ling them into a major retreat. The
British campaign in Africa goes
Iahead, and while German resistance
lis stubborn, 1t is steadily lessening.
THE Italians seem to have practically
given up so far as aggressive fighting
lis concerned. And in the Pacific, the
L. S. Army, Navy and Air Force are
living up to the finest traditions of
American arms. The democracies,
(which Hitler used to say We're soft,
|decadent and incapable of fighting eff
fective war, are showing the iron
(which is inside them.
X 4 x
The Hull program of American
solidarity Is bearing fine fruit now.
The whitehared gentleman from
Tennessee fought for it during years
in which many were bored with, and