Evening star., 1946-10-02
Britain Denounces
Jap Story That Eden
Sought Peace in 1942


Sought Peace in 1912
The published report of a pur'
ported secret British peace offer il
1912 which was said to have beer
spurned by Premier TOTO, was de-
nounced today by a spokesman fol
the British Embassy as con
temptible rubbish"
The incident is described in Human
Events, a Washington weekly polit'
ical analysis, and is based on a new
Japanese book, "Shempu Nijunen,
or Twenty Years of Whirlwind.' BY
Shozo Mori, Tokyo journalist. TIL,
books author, according to the Asso.
ciated Press, expressed surprise tha
his work had attracted internationa
attention and promised to rechecl
his sources. He predicted that futur,
testimony would support the story
that the offer was made by Anthony
Eden, after the fall of Singapore.
The article in Human Events wa.
written by Kiyoshi Kawakami, who
was correspondent here for ths
Osaka Mainichi before Pearl Harbor
The Mori book has not yet beer
made available in English, according
to Mr.. Kawakami, who says "it /,
incredible that, if without founda.
ton, circularization of these state.
ments would have been permitted
by the military authorities in Tokyo.
Lists Four Essentials.
Mr.. Kawakami states in the article
that the purported peace move
came soon after the fall of Singa-
pore. Four essential features of the
reported British peace offer he re-
cites as:
81. Japan to propose an arnistics
at once.
%. Japan to return Singapore
and Malaga to England.
80 England to recognize Japan,s
preponderant position in North
China, comprising Jehol. Chahar
Hopei, Shantung and Suiyan Prov
inceS.
a. England to conciliate China
and the United States for peace
on the basis of the above terms"
According to Mr.. Kawakamis 1
article, TOTO, drunk with power,
kept the alleged British propose,
top secret"
Even within the cabinet itself
only few were allowed to see it.
he said.
Withstands Pressure.
Mr.. Kawakami relates that Seige
Nakano, leader of q Japanese politi-
cal group known as Toho Kai Cast.
ern Society got wind OF the offer
however, and besought TOTO urgently
to accept it. But TOTO, says thu
writer, turned a deaf ear to Nakanoi
contention that the longer the wal
lasted the weaker Japan's position
would become"
Nakano. continued Mr.. Kawa.
kami, took to the speaking platform
along with his followers, hoping tt
force Tojo's hand '.by rousing pub.
lie sentiment for early peace, though
of course, without referring to thu
British offer"
Then, says Mr.. Kawakami, Toje
invoked repressive laws which
muzzled his critics. The japanese
Premier also dissolved the Diet, con.
tinues the writer, and carried out ar
election which set up q rubber.
stamp House dominated by mem.
bers Hn1er Tojo's power.
Nakano is asserted to have gone
underground" secretly canvassine
elder statesmen and even contracting
the imperial princes. A plot to oust
TOTO was said to have been secretly
made. The intrigue was said tc
have sDa1e on until October Is, 1913
when NNakano was arrested by
Japanese police.
Committed Hari-Kari.
After an all-night grilling, Nakano
Is said to have been released. He
dined cheerfully with his family the
next night, the author relates, and
then-a Jew hours later-committed
hari-kari.
Deprived of Nakano's leadership, .
says Mr. Kawakami, @the senior
statesman relapsed into senile do
nothingism, and TOTO remained In
office until the fall of Saipan in
July, 1914"
Mr.. Kawakami concludes with the
remark that Tojo's successor had
vision mo clearer than that of
TOTO himself and that an English
translation of Twenty Years OF
Whirlwind' seems desirable"
In another part of the article he
says:
Had Japan reacted favorably to
the British proposal, the course of
world history in the past five years
might have been vastly different.
Fortunately for the Allies, and to
Japan's eventual undoing Premier
Hideh TOTO paid scant attention to
it."
Mr.. Kawakami was said by Human
Events to have engaged in propa-
ganda work for the United States
after the war began, his activities
being aimed at preaching Japan's
fighting morale"
The magazine is edited by Felix
Morley and Frank c. Hanighen.
Jordan Denounces 1t.
Philip Jordan, the British En-.
bassy spokesman, told reporters
that ito my knowledge no such
thing ever happened, and beyond
that I have nothing to say because
one does not answer such con.
temptible rubbish"
The Associated Press correspond.
ent in Tokyo said that Mr.. Mori
who is editorial executive on the
Mainichi, said that in view of thi'
denial, he would check back or
his sources, but added that they hac
proved reliable on other unreportee
phases of the war and had beer
SIIhStantiatnd in testimony at thf