Show tP 7 W N R B FN t Yin Washington D. D C. C FAR EAST POKER JOKER GAME For perspective on the preset pr present sent South Pacific war tug between Japan and Britain It is well to rl remember remember re re- member that for years Thailand then known as Siam was a pawn paw in the power game of the bigger nations of the Pacific In this game the United States had a hand For years American America financial advisers have been a attached attached at at- to the Thailand throne or one of them having been Francis Sayre son law of Woodrow Wilson no now high commissioner of the Philip Philip- pines He wooed Thailand on many occasions oc m including the ornate reception reception recep recep- tion given the former king of Siam Sian who as Supreme Arbiter of the th Ebb and Flow of the Tide Brother of the Moon Half Brother of th the Sun and Keeper of the Twenty Twenty-fou Golden Washington Wash Wash- Washington Umbrellas came to ington in the days of Herbert Herber Hoover and was regally entertained The British were even more it interested in interested in- in in the Siamese British Britis advisers for a time ran the kingdoms kingdom's kingdoms kingdom's king kini doms dom's government trained its army supplied the one or two ships shin I for lor its navy I But half a n dozen years ago th the Japanese began preaching the docI doctrine doc dot I trine of Asia for the yellow marand man mar I and Siam Slam for the Siamese Tha That t was how the name came to b be changed to Thailand a nationalistic token of home rule Reason for Japans Japan's interest in this thi small country was not nationalism but the fact that a slender finger tinge of land about as wide as the Isthmus Isthmus Isthmus mus of Panama called the Isthmus of Kra is controlled by Thailand i A canal through this isthmus connecting connecting connecting connect connect- ing the Indian ocean and the Gulf Gul of Siam would give a new short shor route from the Pacific to India render render render ren ren- der Singapore impotent and cu cut three days from the trip between Indo-China Indo and Burma Such a canal would leave Singapore's Singapore's Singapore's Singa Singa- pores pore's giant guns and expensive naval bases guarding an out-of-date out sea highway almost as unimportant tant Cant as the Straits of Magellan after the Panama canal was built That is one reason the British are air ready to fight to keep the Japanese out nut of Thailand BRITISH INY INVASION PLA PLANS S First Firl British plan for an invasion of the continent since the start o othe of the Russian-Nazi Russian conflict was a a landing in Holland This it was figured figured figured fig fig- would get sympathetic support from the Dutch would create a second second sec sec- ond ind front requiring Hitler to divert diver part of his troops and airplanes airplane from rom the Russian front The original British idea was tt to have nave the United States operate co-operate iti ina in it ina a i landing force This however scarcely got beyond the informal suggestion stage It was immediately immediately immedi immedi- and emphatically vetoed first for or political r reasons second because because be be- cause ause Roosevelt did not have the power to send troops abroad third thUd because of the scarcity of shipping to o transport and supply an AmerIcan American Amer Amer- ican can army overseas Since then none of the proposals proposal for or creating a second European front has contemplated any American Amer Amer- ican can participation The second idea discussed was a British attempt through Spain and Portugal This also scarcely got beyond the discussion stage because it t was figured first that the German German Gernan Ger Ger- man nan army probably could take over Spain pain by the time British troops bean began began be be- that even ifa if ifa gan an to land second a L foothold could be obtained a march across the Pyrenees to France trance would be too difficult The only part which the United States Mates might have played in such sucha a L plan was to send food ships with which to help win over the Spanish population copulation tion Norway Heavily lly Fortified Since then another plan for pos pos- possible possible pos pos- sible ible British invasion of Norway has bas been een discussed However this also alsos is s difficult The Nazis now have 10 divisions in Norway more important important tant ant they have been working feverishly feverishly fever fever- with characteristic German thoroughness to fort fortify y Norwegian ports orts and possible invasion points The chief factor holding back the British however has been their lack ick of armored equipment Al Al- Although Although though the British army is about strong only about men fen are lre fully tully armed with modern equipment And the most serious defect elect in their equipment is the lack of t tanks Vast numbers of tanks were losty lost by y the British at a loss which has not yet been replenished And nd no invasion of the continent could be successful without a powerful powerful pow pow- erful tank force Also despite the strength of the Nazi army on the Russian front a total Ital of 47 well-equipped well German divisions are stationed in w western tern Europe This is approximately men Recent discussion of British aid Lo to Russia has bas turned to the Near East ast and a British move from the Gulf ulf of Persia through Iran to the Russian oil fields of the Caucasus These hose oil fields are one one of the chief goals gals of the Nazi army and once Hitler succeeds in taking the Ukraine kraine it would be relatively easy tor or r him to cut ofT off this supply |