Show Richard H. United States Government Narrowly Averted October Crisis With Says Writer Few Americans are aware that for several tense days last month our government momentarily expected a Japanese attack on the lands and ish East The wf m cut of 5 J Italo German J Japanese Pa c and the Japanese mastery of all East How war or the U. withdrawal from the was averted is the story behind those dramatic days in Japan had been persuaded to agree to a formal offensive and defensive alliance with Germany and Italy and was now being urged to utilize the opportunity the pact it was she should realize her militarist's dream of becoming mistress of the entire east coast of from Manchuria to northern Britain was engaged in a life and death struggle at France was prostrate and powerless to the United States was more concerned about Nazi dominated the likelihood of losing the protection of the British fleet more was just beginning her vast preparations for Japan need merely occupy the rest of attack the islands of the Indies one by and consummate her gains by an assault of the great naval fortress of The whole adventure would be over before the U. S. or Britain could offer any opposition once in no could dislodge By such bold strategy Germany and Italy sought to spread their war to embroil the U. S. in a war with Japan and effectively cut off the ever increasing flow of aid to But no no invasion took The pact and those bombastic speeches failed to frighten the U. S. and Britain into Britain re-opened the Burma giving new hope to gallant President Roosevelt embargoed shipments of scrap iron and steel to Japan while Secretary of State Hull intimated immediate fleet action if Japan moved Realizing that blockade and war would follow any adventure in the East Japan backed down from her belligerent attitude for the appears content to continue the task of pacifying Her grand project of creating a Japanese is shunted aside only Having a third of China and half of Indo-China under her foot she awaits only a more opportune moment to seize the rich booty the East Indies That moment may come with the capitulation of the eventual defeat of or U. S. involvement in a war in the With all three happenings not unlikely in the near the United States should seriously re-consider its interests and position in the Far Our traditional policy in the Orient has been largely nullified by Japanese We arc now following a and trading extensively with Japan export and in but still depending largely upon East Indian sources for vital raw material needs With the world undergoing violent every nation aligning itself in one of two opposing such a hap-hazard policy must soon Either we seek friendship and cooperation with recognizing her predominant place in the or prepare to defend the Philippines and our other interests in the Far East against her Friendship with Japan would mean withdrawing our defense lines to the abandoning the Philippines as indefensible without the use of the Singapore and Australian naval Executed after sufficient stocks of the vital raw materials had been secured and in the face of war in the this commends itself as one of appeasing the lesser in order to deal more effectively with the greater Appeasement and have proved notably unsuccessful policies against insatiable Following such a we should likely soon find ourselves entirely alone in the fighting on our own shores against the whole A more aggressive policy toward Japan is At this we have reports that our government is in consultation with the British and Australian governments with such a policy in The joint use of the Philippine and Australian bases by the two Asiatic and a clear assurance to Japan that any aggression south of Indo-China would be met with firm resistance arc the two features of this If Britain we shall see the United States and her weak allies in the western hemisphere and among the dominions aligned against the rest of the With that prospect in we should decide upon a well-considered policy toward If there is hope of re-taching her from the Axis alliance which is the real task of U. S. diplomacy in the Far East then a policy combining the major elements of both of the above recognizing Japanese pre-dominance in the but fully protecting our economic and should be If Japan chooses to be aligned against a well-armed resistance to her in cooperation with Britain and Australia is The United States is in for perilous and trying years With a triumphant Germany in Europe and a belligerent Japan in Asia both on the our democracy must see its course clearly and act decisively when action is Unless we clarify our Far Eastern policy and define its we shall retreat and vacillate until we are no longer able to exercise any influence west of and Japan will become master of the |