Evening star., 1944-07-21
Tokyo Silent on Guam;
Reports Formation
|0f New Cabinet
By the Associated Press,

by the AssOclhteu fIese.
japanese radios were silent
today concerning the American
landings on Guam, but Domei
news agency said new cabinet
had been selected and that the
names of its members would be
submitted to Emperor Hirohito
tomorrow.
Earlier cryptic Domei broadcast
suggested Japans warlords had re-
considered the idea of naming CO.
premiers to succeed Gen. Hideki
TOTO.
THE Imperial Rule Assistance As
sociation Japans Fascist party at
a special meeting of party directors
this afternoon unanimously pledged
to give whole support to
the new cabinet which will be
formed under Gen. Kuniaki Koiso or
Admiral Mitsumasa Yonai," the
Domei dispatch said.
This indicated that only one of
them would get the No. post.
Tokyo announcements yesterday
said Koiso and Yonai, both former
ministers, had been ordered by the
Emperor to form a new cabinet sin
cooperation" and it was implied
that they would head it together.
Reported Working Smoothly"
They were reported last night to
be working very smoothly and
earnestly" on the organization of a
new government.
The general and admiral, asked by
Emporer Hirohito to form a new
cabinet 'in cooperation" talked
yesterday with a series of high
Japanese officials, including Toto,
but Domei broadcast recorded by
the Federal Communications Com
mission indicated they had not yet
reached a decision.
1t appeared from the Domei dis
patch that Gen. Koiso was taking q
more active part in the organization
than Admiral Yonai.
Another Tokyo broadcast said
Welfare Minister Chikahiko Koi-
zumi and Home Affairs Minister
Kisaburo Ando had been elevated to
the House of Peers.
Grew Warns Against Optimism.
Meanwhile, American officials are
agreed that the japanese govern
ment shake-up is the result of the
enemy's desperate situation. but
they caution that it evidently meant
no weakening of Jap resistance in
the Pacific.
Joseph c. Grew. who spent the 10
years before the war as American
Ambassador to Tokyo, said in
statement issued by the State De-
partment yesterday that the same
old group of war leaders, of which
TOTO is only one member, is still
in power"
While noting several encouraging
factors in the shake-up. Mr.. Grew,
who now heads the State Depart-
ment's Office of Far Eastern affairs.
declared:
1T would be shortsighted and
dangerous to the full prosecution Of
our own war effort to allow this
change to hull us into any wishful
thinking or false optimism"
Patterson Also Skeptical.
Undersecretary of War Patter-
son. referring to reports that the
Japs might try to put in a gov
ernment more agreeable to the
United States, said he was sure
that no one will be deceived by
any such maneuver The charac-
ter of the japanese nation and
armed forces remains the same and
Is not changed in any way by a
shift in government personnel"
Secretary of State Hull told A
news conference that the changes
constituted rather desperate sign
OF Japan's military situation and
substantial reversal in their top
leadership.
/ No one can know for certain now
what may develop out of this, Mr..
Hull said, but he indorsed a COM
ment which he attributed to Mr..
Patterson that 1t would be a mis-
take to assume that the Japanese
would not put forward their best
possible military plans in place of
those followed by TOTO.
Follows Usual Pattern
Mr.. Grew said the resignation OF
the TOTO cabinet implied three
things:
First, 1t is the clearest possible
admission of unprecedented defeats
sustained by the japanese armed
forces.
Second, it follows the usual jap.
anese pattern Of the acceptance of
personal responsibility for failures.
Third, 1t implies the necessity Of
bolstering a weakening morale on
the part of the japanese people by
giving them something in the nature
OF new government, although we
do not know whether TOTO will re-
appear in 1t or not"
In this connection" Mr.. Grew
added, i would express word of
caution. In all probability the
change of government in Japan will
entail no fundamental change in
policy of fighting the war to the
bitter end, for the old door die
fanatical spirit is deeply ingrained in
the japanese race