The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-04-30

Japs Discover
Filters Sayings
Are Boomerang
BY Charles p. Stewart
BY Charles p. Stewart

Der, OF the Doolittle flying corps,
after their capture by the Island
ere about a year ago. naturally
was not intended as an urgen.
summons from Nippon TO the
United States to speed up the
American effort to smash the mi
kAdo's empire flat.
Nevertheless. that is the effect
which the Tokyo atrocity seems
TO have had.
The tendency in Washington,
hitherto. certainly has been to
regard the trans-Pacihc campaign
as secondary to warfare TO the
eastward (reckoning as per our
Kankee geography.
The Doolittle incident has pref.
ty well disposed OF this notion.
Numerically, it was only a
comparatively small homicidal
crime. but it was a particularly
atrocious one. Jap admission ot
II probably was an annoyance to
British Prime Minister Churchill,
since he evidently wants this
country TO concentrate against
the European AXIS powers, in
EnEland's more immediate neigh.
borhood. than to he distracted in
the Asiatic direction.
II is not likely that the Japs
had any thought of his conyen-
fence in switching American SEN
time2t Cauti, of coursel 30 I'M
mediately and violently their
way.
Undoubtedly, the Tokyo broad
cast was a matter OF brag-
Enthusiastically Jap, It Is
poor guess that the islanders be
lieved they could intimidate Tn
Gle Sam. Yet they may have
thought they could delay him
for awhile in the interest Of
gaining time.
1t was poor reasoning. but
there is no knowing how the Jap
mind works.
My own theory Il still stand
pat on it) is that the average
Jap will no more butcher a for
eign war prisoner than We Will;
II is his militarists who would
do It,
. ! lived in Japan for time some
years ago.
| did not have occasion then TO
clash with the militarists. Con-
trariwise, as news correspond
.ent, | got on with them very
well. And with their diplomats
and journalists was on the
friendliest terms.
Bet / knew then that the milf
tarists were cann:bals and so did
their own ciyiliandom.
We talked about it between
ourselves. They told me what
was the matter with their local
military class.
Years ago | was we'll acquaint-
ed with X. h. Wawakami, a
Japanese news correspondent in
San Francisco and throughout the
United States. ! think that that
guy was thoroughly assimilated
here. He married an American.
He had a son-Clarke Wawaka-
mi. Clarke was, and is, an
American citizen by birth and,
one-half, by parentage. He is
as pro-American as anyone |
know. dating back TO the Revolu-
ton. ! know him intimately.
However, only a snail fraction
OF one per cent OF American-born
Japs (whether born on our Pa
cific coastal mainland or in Ha-
vail are of mixed parentage.
Nevertheless, counting the en-
tire total OF them, they are not
so crazy as to think Nippon ever
could annex California, and | do
not believe they would favor It,
either Very few OF them ever
have visited their ancestral home
land. / have heard from some
them that they try to pass
themselves off here as Chinese
or Filipinos. And not for the
proposes of espionage, but be-
cause they genuinely want to
class as American eligibles.
Born laps (even decent ones,
who have stayed there) probably
do not realize how hopelessly
their nation is bound TO be out
classed in the long run. Yet
they. themselves. do not favor
deliberate murder, either morally
or as sound policy.
The militarists are different.
They are liable TO be convinced
(they are that insane) that they
can gobble everything in sight.
and to be perfectly willing to do
II by massacre or in any other
way.
To say. though. that jap IS
always a Jap" meaning a MILL.
TARY Jap, is TO do many Of them
an Injustice. He may be an enc
MY Jap, when it is necessary 10
exterminate, but it does not fol
low that it is not a pity TO have
TO kill him.