Evening star., 1945-02-17

customs inspectors were doing
theirs, the pigeons were tossed aloft
carrying interviews and films tt
the newspapers on shore. In 9
matter of minutes, since they flew
with the speed of the airplanes o1
that day and dropped down like
helicopters on the roofs of theil
home Offices, the pigeons delivered
their stories and pictures.
1t seemed quaint process, ir
keeping with people of quaint GUS
toms. But next day when we fol-
lowed the process through it was
found to be something else. 1t was
found to be blending of old ano
new to provide most efficient mod
ern communication. AS the trap
door of the dovecote on the roof oi
the newspaper building closed be-
hind the bird, the little capsule
container was taken from the car
riers neck, slipped into pneumatic
tube and shot to the newSroom OF
the photographers darkroom.
Modern as America.
Developed and printed, the pic
ture, If it had urgent news value,
was on its way almost instantly by
telegraph to newspapers in other
cities. The wirephoto mechanism,
like other parts of the plant, was
as modern as any in America.
I told the boys in the Office about
all this. Each time I told it some
one said, why don't we use pi-
geons here?" and somebody in
stantly answered, Those so-and-
SOS across the street (meaning the
opposition newspape) would shoot
our pigeons"
So I'm thinking about those birds
today and about other strange
blendings of the old and the new in
the land of our desperate enemy. It's
land that seems to have learned
the best and the worst of our civili-
cation too quickly and to have clung
too tenaciously to the worst of her
own. The worst is represented by
the medieval thinking of her mill
tary men.
If one could believe what business
men of Japan told us privately on
the occasion of that visit 10 years
ago, these businessmen were sin
cerely opposed to armed aggression
on the Asiatic mainland. They were
satisfied, they said, with the COM
mercial conquest they felt they were
achieving. Japan, already highly in
dustrialized, needed nothing more
than the advantage given her by her
nearness to the Asiatic markets and
the sources of needed raw materials.
They, very privately, blamed the
old Samurai philosophy of the all
powerful army group which was
able to see the glory of Japan only
in terms of territorial conquest. The
businessmen, if you could believe
them, hadn't liked the occupation
of Manchuria; some bankers COM
planned frankly of having to accept
the bonds issued by the government
to cover the cost of developing that
country. These businessmen looked
with foreboding on the haf-con-
cealed preparations for war with
China.
Leaders Felt Same Way.
And what is said concerning the
businessmen applies even more
strongly to the attitude of some of
Japan's scientists and intellectual
leaders.
Be all this as it may, there is rea-
son to believe that Japan does con-
tain a siZable element, no matter
how well submerged at the moment,
capable of thinking in tune with the
philosophy of peace now dominant
in the western world. How they
will be able to express themselves,
what opportunity they will have to
do so, no one at this distance can
say, but there really are good people,
as well as bad, in all countries. 1t is
surely still true that you cannot in
dict whole nation.
Some day soon we are going to
have to begin to understand Japan.
1t won't be easy, but for a start we
could undertake to understand our
selves We have weaknesses. Re-
member that some of my boys were
fearful that those so-and-so's would
shoot our pigeons. How'd they get
that idea? Could it be that they