Evening star., 1945-07-29
By Senator Ebert d. Thomas

-OLuI SCuU [ftOLOs
shek's Kuomintang faction and the
Communist group, in arms against each
other; while in India there are high
pitched racial and religious disagree
ments, and In the Arab states there are
unending disputes between Moham-
medans and Christians and Jews.
With the elimination Of Japan the
powers with the greatest influence in
Asia will be France, Britain and Rus
sia, because of their territorial holdings,
and the United States because of our
interest in maintaining the peace. Hol-
land, though her possessions are more
than a quarter of the size of the United
States, is dependent upon the British
and ourselves for defense. The Dutch
have no adequate military or naval
power of their own. Russia Is the
she occupies the entire northern blanket
of the continent, an area larger than all
North America combined and by no
means only cold Siberian wastes. Much
of it is temperate and productive land.
The Soviet Union has the important
advantage of invulnerable size. an efi-
cient and experienced army and an un-
equaled strategic position. Her frontiers
extend along the length of the Chi
nese Empire, the border states of India
and also Persia and Turkey. They ex-
tend, in fact, across the center of Eu-
rope and Asia, from the Baltic to the
Sea OF Japan.
Opposed Russian Advance.
For nearly century the British op-
posed the entry of Russia into Southern
Europe and Southern Asia. In the
Crimean War of 1854 they and the
French fought in alliance with Turkey,
to prevent the Russia of the Gear get
ting an outlet to the Mediterranean. In
1878 they threatened war for the same
purpose. Later they opposed Russian
dominance in Persia, in order to pre-
vent her obtaining an outlet to the
Persian Gulf. In 1902 they entered into
alliance with the Japanese in order to
enable them to fight the Russians in
Manchuria, which they did two years
later. Striving always to obtain outlets
to warm waters, the Russians were long
opposed by the British. Now the Brit
ish have to change that policy or face
the prospect of a third world war.
Both in Asia itself and over European
policies in Asia the potentialities of
conflict exist, and the part We Ameri-
cans will play is not matter for hap
hazard judgments or temporary ex-
pedients.
We are faced with a tragic problem
and cannot recognize and deal with it
too soon. Great wars cannot be stopped
year or two before they begin. BY
that time suspicious have run too high
and preparations gone too far. The
possibility of their coming must be fore
seen in advance and measures taken to
avoid them before .distrusts and ILL
feelings have been aroused. We Amer
leans have got the job of looking ahead
and using our good offices as we have
never done before. .iF-t
Most Violent War.
Meantime, the war between the United
States and Japan has become the most
violent ever waged. On the japanese
side it is the most desperate and on
ours the most deadly. Never before
have men deliberately sacrificed them
selves in such numbers as the japanese,
and never before have weapons been
used which are as destructive as ours.
From experience in fighting the Ger
mans we have increased the size, range
and carrying capacity of our bombers
and made the loads they drop on jap
anese cities more devastating. Tokyo
was made rubble heap in far less time
than it took to wreck Berlin, and all
the other great industrial centers and
seaports have been blasted. The Jap
anese military leaders have been more
successful than the Germans in getting
their people to stand and die. The
German armies finally ignored Hitlers
command and surrendered by the hun
dreds Of thousands. The numbers of
Japanese who have done this have been,
SO far, but few hundreds or at most
few thousands at time. A probable
reason is that the Japanese dread what
we will do to them If they submit to
our demand for unconditional surrender.
President Truman has said that we
have no intention Of destroying or en-
shaving the japanese people, and he has
repeated the statement of President
Roosevelt that the Four Freedoms are
intended Tor "all peoples" But 1t is
hard for nation which has been
worked up to the pitch required for
modern war to put faith in the promises
Of enemy leaders. The Japanese know
what has happened to Hitler, Himmler
and Goebbels and what Is going to
happen to Goerring, Hess and Ribben-
trop, and they might think that we will
include their Emperor in our list of war
criminals.
japanese Are Informed.
Contrary to President Truman's reas-
surances, some Of us have been saying
that the japanese ought to be EXTERN
mated We did not say this about the
Germans as race and the expression
is unfortunate. 1t may mean the loss
| Of q greater number Of American lives.
| It has been too widely circulated to
escape the attention Of the Japanese.
They have diplomatic representatives
| in European capitals. including Moscow.
)