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Show Weekly rVows Analysis 1 Fear of Foreign Entanglement Brings Return to Isolationism . lly JosepZi W. La Hint 1 Asia Japan's thinly veiled ambition is to drive westerners out of China. Until this year the white man was oppressed only insofar as he stood in the way of Tokyo's marching armies. Eut Japan looks covetously covetous-ly and angrily on such prosperous developments as Shanghai's international inter-national settlement, Britain's Hong Kong crown colony and France's Indo-China. Already Hong Kong has been isolated by Jap conquest of Canton, her gateway to China. More recently British territory along the Hong Kong-Canton railroad rail-road was bombed. Farther south Japan seized independent Hainan i- '- ' v i . M . V EDITOR'S NOTE When opinions are expressed in these columns, they are those of the news analyst, and not necessarily of the newspaper. Domestic Since President Roosevelt's "quarantine" speech at Chicago in October, 1937, U. S. public opinion has veered sharply and outspokenly against dictafcirs, meanwhile making mak-ing new friends for France, Britain and China. Washington's traditional tradition-al policy of isolation and neutrality has well-nigh gone by the boards, thanks to Nazi Jew-baiting, Japan's threat to U. S. interests in China and dictator inroads throughout South America. Most heated U. S. spcechmaker against Adolf Hitler has been Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes, whose tirades presumably pre-sumably reflect White House sentiment. senti-ment. Long-awaited reaction against foreign for-eign entanglement took root only a month ago when congress discovered discov-ered the administration was sponsoring spon-soring military plane sales to France and Britain. Today the issue is-sue of isolation is growing by leap and bound, not only as a question of foreign policy but as a political football headed for the 1940 presidential presi-dential election. In less than one late February week enough shots were fired to constitute a definite trend: "Wicked Dictatorships." To Pitts-field, Pitts-field, Mass., went William R. Castle, Cas-tle, assistant chairman of the Re- gerous commitment, congress thought twice when the Export-Import bank due to expire June 30 came up for two years' extension. Argued Michigan's Rep. Jesse Wolcott: "This bank can get us into a situation which may involve us in any European or Asiatic conflict con-flict ... It is a dangerous thing to have this power lying around." Argued Ohio's Sen. Robert A. Taft: "The government shouldn't he in the export business." Passed by the house after vigorous debate, the extension bill could expect, a chary reception by the senate.,' Meanwhile the U. S.'chamber of commerce lifted its eyebrows over a report that 25 American industrialists industri-alists would join a British-German cartel to regulate competition in world markets and offset a threatened threat-ened trade war. The state department depart-ment knew nothing about it and was far from enthusiastic. But . While one branch of U. S. opinion obviously swung to isolation, isola-tion, another branch stuck out its neck by virtue of a long-standing, thoroughly accepted American creed, the Monroe doctrine. Illustrating Illus-trating how any U. S. interest in South America leads to international internation-al complications in the world of 1939 were two developments: (1) The civil aeronautics authority prepared to fight German, Italian, French and Dutch air services for supremacy suprem-acy in South America; (2) Dr. Raul Ribeiro, Brazilian economist, offered of-fered U. S. capitalists a chance to invest in a mining development project proj-ect for his country, with possible exchange of Brazilian ore for American-made munitions. Europe All European crisis since 1930 have been started by scheming Italy and Germany. With Europe well on its way to another nervous breakdown break-down scheduled for mid-March, signs now indicate that Britain and France, lovers of peace and the status quo, may at least be blamed if not responsible for the spring crisis. Underlying every potential European Euro-pean development is the Spanish war, whose early termination will leave Italy free to pursue Mediterranean Mediter-ranean territorial demands against France. This, because a Franco victory in Spain is an Italian victory vic-tory giving II Duce more Mediterranean Mediter-ranean power. It would jeopardize not only France's colonies, but Britain's Brit-ain's "lifeline" to the Far East. By now the Wfis-London "axis" has at least three reasons to decide de-cide on an aggressive course which may decide Europe's future: (1) Unconfirmed but persistent reports of French-Italian clashes on the Libya-Tunisia border (see map) jibe with announcements that Italy's Libyan garrisons are being increased. in-creased. Tunisia is one French territory ter-ritory specifically demanded by Italy, unofficially. Reports say Fascist troops penetrated Tunisia at a spot 25 miles southeast of the first French fortified zone, just as Italy's Marshal Pietro Badoglio visited Libya to inspect frontier l r i h ? X t PREMIER HIRANUMA Is International Settlement next? island despite an agreement with France. This accomplished, munitions muni-tions shipments into China through French Indo - China might be blocked. Latest and craftiest Japanese plan is seizure of the Shanghai international in-ternational settlement, only non-Jap area left in the city and an unwilling unwill-ing haven for Chinese guerrilla warriors. war-riors. In the past 18 months 88 political murders have been committed com-mitted there, most victims being puppet Chinese governmental officers of-ficers in Japanese pay. Latest victims vic-tims were Chen Lo, foreign minister minis-ter for the Central China government govern-ment in Nanking, and Marquis Li Kuo-chieh, grandson of China's great statesman, Li Hung-chang. Life is cheap in the Orient and loss of a few puppets would be small for control of the Shanghai international settlement. Though backed only by rumor, there is growing belief that Chinese murders mur-ders may have been "planted" by Tokyo as an excuse to march in and keep peace, conveniently setting set-ting an important precedent. Whether true or not, the belief jibes with retaliatory action taken in Tokyo. Up before a turbulent meeting of the diet rose Lt. Gen. Seishiro Itagaki, minister of war, to declare he was "convinced of the necessity to take an effective measure meas-ure of self-defense" in the international interna-tional settlement. Later, in extraordinary extraor-dinary session, the cabinet placed official approval on such action when Premier Baron Kiichiro Hi-ranuma Hi-ranuma declared the terrorism "compels Japan to take fundamental fundamen-tal measures to maintain peace and order." Meanwhile Premier Hiranuma could see that his newest drive to close China's open door would meet stubborn resistance. From London came bitter protest against the Hong Kong bombing. In Shanghai the international police redoubled their efforts and prepared to resist a threat on the settlement. To the south, at lazy Haiphong, Indo-China, France was angry enough to junk her Japanese agreement just as Japan had junked it, opening her gateway to supplies for sorely pressed Chinese troops. Tl11.si.rt.fss REPUBLICAN CASTLE More concentration, less chatter. publican national committee, once U. S. envoy to " Japan, later a Hoover undersecretary of state. Said Mr. Castle, before a 40 and 8 (American Legion) society: "There is still so much work ... to keep this the best possible country . . . that our officials would do well to confine themselves to this task instead in-stead of spending so much time talking talk-ing about wicked dictatorships and the dangers of war. We certainly want none of their philosophy . . . but ... if that philosophy is what other nations want it is not for us to attempt to prevent it." Nye Again. An irreconcilable pacifist, paci-fist, North Dakota's Sen. Gerald P. Nye saw red when he learned of the "wrs TUNIS Pentilterbm t ' jSfat) ' MeMBr " ' 1 O A. .o . bfCHAZl rf. r J LIBYA "7 ( ") N . Munuk -it- S-, 0 100 200 300 440 M,l.l Za"f$frAr French-British plane sales, rushed to his office and drafted a bill. Its gist: Military and naval officers could bar export of any planes developed de-veloped in the U. S. until they determined de-termined that the craft are not needed need-ed exclusively for American defense. de-fense. One reason for the bill was testimony testi-mony that Mr. Roosevelt had ignored ig-nored high military-naval officials in making the foreign deal. Another An-other reason is Senator Nye's fear of an ultimate U. S. desire to sell planes to Germany, Italy, Japan or any other nation, thus producing a "vicious circle." Next day it became be-came apparent the "vicious circle" had already been created internationally. interna-tionally. A member of the civil aeronautics authority reportedly told the senate military affairs committee com-mittee that Germany was willing to sell fighting planes to of all nations France. Reasoning: France would thereby become dependent on foreign plane factories, committing national suicide in case of war with Germany. Foreign Trade. Among important loans of the federal-sponsored Export-Import bank was one to China for $25,000,000, financing sale of 1,000 trucks for obvious military use. Fearful lest this constituted a dan- l I U. S. efforts to reconcile heavily taxed business have proceeded since "Uncle Dan" Roper was replaced re-placed as commerce secretary by Harry Hopkins. After initial promises prom-ises Mr. Hopkins settled back in silence for two months of study to learn what made his heretofore ineffectual in-effectual department tick. Some hint of more reconciliation was contained in President Roosevelt's Roose-velt's pre-vacation remark that business need fear no more taxes. More hint was found in the speech of Secretary of War Harry Wood-ring, Wood-ring, who stepped from his military mili-tary shoes to tell the Democratic Women's National council that he hoped soon to see an end of "spending "spend-ing and taxing" If private business will take the initiative. " Even before Secretary Hopkins left for Des Moines to make his "policy speech," Washington knew pretty well what an obviously revitalized re-vitalized commerce department intended in-tended to do. Main points in the Hopkins program: (1) Develop the heretofore unimportant business advisory ad-visory council; (2) promote re-employment to slash WPA rolls; (3) study taxes and their effect on business; busi-ness; (4) attempt to succeed where the labor department had failed, in settling the feud between the American Amer-ican Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations. Organiza-tions. People Tom Mooney, recently pardoned labor leader, has been admitted to a San Francisco hospital. Capt. Fritz Wiedemann, Adolf Hitler's personal adjutant and new German consul to San Francisco, has as his announced purpose the "promotion of good will." LIBYA AND TUNISIA Is this the next battleground? forts. Meanwhile Rome reports indicate in-dicate 1,000,000 men will be under arms this spring. (2) Germany has started mobilization mobili-zation for annual war games, accompanied ac-companied by renewed grumblings against "war scares" by western democracies. (3) Chancellor Hitler, Premier Mussolini and Generalissimo Franco Fran-co are scheduled to meet soon for a decision on Spain's future, and, presumably, pre-sumably, the future course of an enlarged European Fascism. Viewing these three developments the British parliament has approved an extra $2,000,000,000 armament appropriation, starting a new international inter-national munitions race which Prime Minister Chamberlain admits might "lead to the bankruptcy of every country in Europe." At the same time London has agreed on plans for an expeditionary force to help France in case of war. Meanwhile Mean-while both London and Paris have been making desperate last-minute efforts to win Franco. German-Italian reply to these "warlike threats" will probably be to hold their troops in Spain until France grants African concessions. Thus perplexed, London and Paris must either use a whip lash, thereby there-by provoking a new- crisis, or permit per-mit the most serious blow to democratic demo-cratic prestige thus far inflicted. If they planned the latter course there would be little justification for today's to-day's frenzied rearmament. |
