Evening star., 1945-11-24
7 estimony on Attack
Seen as Old, Sad Story

Seen QSOlo, oQ0 otOIy
Thesis That Roosevelt Put u. S.
Into War Is Absurd, Says Writer
By David Laurence
Testimony before the Pearl Harbor
Committee in Congress merely accen-
tuates details Of sad story already
well known, namely, that the United
States was unprepared for war against
Japan, that Japan knew it and pressed
her advantage.
The thesis that the late President
Roosevelt dragged the Nation into war
with Japan or provoked 1t is made
more and more absurd by the revela-
tions. Mr.. Roosevelt obviously was try
ing to stall the Japanese and had no
reason to want them in the war, at
least until Hitler was conquered by the
Allies. America was unprepared for
two-ocean war because it had only q
one-ocean Navy.
But 1t is also manifest that Mr. Roose-
velt's desire to aid the Allies caused
him to send substantial portion Of our
fleet to the Atlantic to care for pos
sible emergencies there. He couldn't
tell from which side the attack might
come first.
Whether Japan would or would not
have turned her carrier feet back early
IN December, 1941, depended only on
whether the United States would have
yielded in the negotiations. Obviously
to yield was to invite aggression later
on and complicate Americas problems
In the Pacific. So 1t was always the
United States which sought to prolong
negotiations. II the November 26 note
was an ultimatum, it was not In
tended to break of the negotiations,
but to answer what the American Gov
ernment considered to be a previous
ultimatum to us.
Debate Called Pointless.
The debate as to who provoked the
other is pointless because Japan saw
her advantage the moment Europe be-
came embroiled in war. She would
gladly have abandoned her attack in
1941 If the United States had been
willing to desert China and furnish oil
and munitions to the Japanese Army
and Navy to carry on aggression In
Asia.
Looking back at the situation as It
existed in 1941, the Washington Gov
ernment knew it was in a tight place,
but couldn't back away from it with
out getting into worse trouble.
But could the war with Japan have
been avoided? The answer is that 1t
might have been avoided If the United
States pursued friendlier policy to-
ward Japan in the entire decade before
l941. There were times when the Japa-
nese military party had less of a grip
on the situation inside Japan than in
1910 or 1941. A sound policy Of culti-
waiting the liberal elements in Japan
might have strengthened the peace
party inside Japan. The damage was
done much earlier than 1910 or 1e41.
AS for preparedness, the warnings OF
men like Admiral Taussig and Admiral
Yarnell in 1910 were disregarded. Con-
gress was never given a true picture of
the dangers. The time to have done so
was back in 1884 and 1885 when billions
OF dollars were being spent on WPA and
leaf-raking which might better have
been spent on armament.
There was time back in 1910 vhsn
the japanese liberals begged the Ameri-
can Government to remove discrimina.
tions against the japanese. The quota
system would have permitted only a
handful of Japanese immigrants to
come in each year but denial of ad.
mission caused injury to the Japanese
| pride which was irreparable.
Cry Of Color Line.
This sort of thing gave the nilitarists
their chief ammunition in japanese
politics-America was drawing the color
line against all Asia. Stch was the cry
and with it went other charges OF
American interference with japanese
commercial opportunities. The docu-
ments covering the relations between
Japan and the United States In 1880
and thereafter as published recently by
the State Department tell the story of
how nations become unfriendly with
each other.
The time to prevent war Is when the
seeds OF hate and friction are sowed in
the first instance. japanese militarism
got the upper hand, saw Hitler start q
war that almost conquered Britain, and
1T was difficult for the peace party In
Japan to upset the militarists. Whether
the japanese planned the Pearl Harbor
attack In 1910 or 1941, few DAYS later
or earlier, makes little difference
America was unprepared because the
facts OF the relationship of the United
States and Japan were withheld from
the American people.
The Pearl Harbor attack might never
have happened if secret diplomacy had
not prevailed. If the American people
had known in 1910 or earlier the truth
about our relations with Japan, the en-
tire Army and Navy could have been
on the alert. Also Congress would have
provided the necessary aircraft carriers
and planes to prevent the defeat at
Pearl Harbor from happening. Secrecy
instead Of the fullest publicity, how
ever, was the custom. That's the real
story Of the tragedy.
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