Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-07-11
Crews Disclosure
Called Constructive
Forces Japs to Understand u. S.
Demands, Says Writer
By Dapid Laurence

L
BY Dapid Laurence
Disclosure by Acting Secretary Of State
Joseph G.. Grew OF just what the So
called peace feelers" from Japan re-
Gently have amounted 10 Is o construc-
tive development.
Not only viii the Japanese government
now be given to understand by Mr..
Crews statement that there Is absolutely
nothing which can be done with respect
to modification of unconditional surren-
der terms, but all apprehensions either
inside or outside our armed services that
a premature peace might be made will
be promptly squelched.
It is fortunate for the United States
that man who served as Ambassador
to Japan and has an intimate knowledge
Of the Far Eastern problems In at the
helm in the Department of State at this
moment. Mr.. Grew is able TO recognize
the peace feelers as being clumsy propa-
ganda efforts by the Japanese governs
ment and as merely nnischievous ate
tempts to bewilder or confuse the peoplei
of the United States. -
Out ITO Save Face"
Unquestionably the japanese govern
ment is behind some of the peace
feelers," even though. as Mr.. Grew says,
| there Is no evidence of it. There can be
no doubt that the japanese government
| would like to talk about peace and nego-
tate compromise other than uncon.
ditional surrender. Clearly the japanese
would like to Save face" in some manner
| and avoid the defeat that lies ahead.
But this is all the more reason why the
Government of the United States, by
taking cognizance of the so-called
peace feelers'' and discussing them pub
hcly. removes all doubt that may exist
in Tokyo concerning the chances of
negotiated or compromise peace.
1t may well be that there are Japanese
, officials who think that the United
States will grow weary of war or that
the demands for rehabilitation since
We day have become serious PROF.
lem for us. But If the Japanese misir-
terpret the present transition period
between the ending of the European war
and the intensifcation of our efforts
against Japan as letdown, they will
discover to their sorrow in later months
that this interval really has been utilized
to prepare the most devastating attack
ever launched against a single nation
by land, sea and air.
If the Japanese can read the hand
writing on the wall they might better
surrender Immediately under the UNI
conditional surrender program. But
probably there are military men in
Japan who still remain unconvinced
that the United States can defeat Japan.
Their basis for such a belief doubtless
lies in the stubborn conviction that the
United States will not take losses of
the kind that will be necessary to
invade Japan. The same kind of rea-
soning was used by Hitler In trying to
persuade the military men around him
that the Allies would not invade North
thern France because OF the heavy for
tiications, rocket bombs and other
devices which were to entrap the Allied
armies In their invasion. 2
The moment, however, the Allies did
land in France the German military
stan knew that the jig was up, and the
effort to assassinate Hitler was unQues-
tionably reflection Of the view that
prevailed last summer among high on
GERS in the German military orsaniza-
| ton.
Japs Fortifying Coast.
The Japanese military leaders are pre-
pairing suicide planes, rocket bombs
and heavy Notifications along their
coasts and they believe that the United
States cannot land as big an army
across such great expanse of ocean
as was the case across the relatively
narrow English Channel But the jap
anese win find themselves gravely mis-
taken. Air power Is bound to do much
more destructive job with respect te
coastal Notifications than was possible
even in Germany. This is because more
tonnage will be dropped on Japan in the
long run than was dropped ON Germany
Also. the vulnerable spots in Japan are
concentrated in a smaller area.
If the Japanese want proof that the
United States can invade Japan, they
i viii get it In due time and it may well
be that when that fact is demonstrated
conclusively to them In small area
they will accept unconditional surren-
der without forcing q last-ditch fight.
Meanwhile, their peace feelers have
fallen on deaf ears. and Mr.. Crews
expose viii put an end to all indirect
maneuvers and compel the japanese
government to deal directly through
some governmental channel II they wish
to terminate the war by unconditional
surrender. There is no chance Of this
policy being modified. The Japanese
will have to rely on the Judgment of the
Allies as to what is to be done with
postwar Japan.
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