| Show Japan Backs Down Under Firm U. British Stand Chance of Becoming Involved In War With Japan Lessens But Still Exists Many an American who has been watching Europe during the past year has had his attention suddenly diverted to the Far East At the present the action so far as we are is of a diplomatic and not of a in the opinion of many an the question of whether this country is to remain at peace or go to war will be in that vast Oriental land that lies some miles away from our Pacific We now have a very different Far Eastern policy than we had a year or two Wo are taking a firm stand with Our efforts at appeasing her are apparently This new policy could have been forecast when the president appointed to the When Stimson was Secretary of State under President he tried effect a joint English-American policy which would have stood square ly in the way of Japanese empire building in The refused to come and the effort Check Rein There are many conflicting arguments as to whether our current policy is right or wrong necessary or Those who support it say that if we give Japan an inch she will demand many a mile that every concession made her simply paves the way for new and stronger demands in the with England at war in we possess the only check rein that can be used against Japanese ambitions to dominate and control all and thus to establish herself as a world power equal or superior to the United States and they argue that we have an economic stranglehold over Japan that if we refuse to buy from her and sell to her she will no longer be able to obtain the resources that are necessary to building an And they quote naval authorities who have testified that if war and fleet is pitted against we can wipe out Japan's navy in a matter of Disadvantages On the other side are those who argue that we have no business in the Far Our investments there are comparatively and belong primarily to a few very large The Philippines in the view of practically and they should be along with Guam and other lesser So far as the natural resources of the Dutch East Indies are they we can use substitutes or find and develop other resources nearer at they believe that we cannot afford the gamble that a war with Japan would entail it would mean that our naval power would be concentrated in the almost half a world away from our thus leaving the Atlantic coast undefended and open to attack from Europe if England Parity Whether this will become a telling political issue in the short time remaining before election s still another like Roosevelt is in favor ol helping China and combating going by his he feels that this can be done without taking a chance on involving ourselves in a war which we might lose and which would be immensely in both dollars and even if we Hugh one of the leading recently wrote that Roosevelt is leading a war party and Willkie a peace and said that in his opinion this should be the decisive issue of the It is true thai some men supposedly in the are saying that there is an even of us becoming actively involved in war within a few or by the end of the year at the Navy Secretary on being questioned by newsmen concerning has simply said that he didn't At any we are today working hand in hand with England in the Far It is felt certain that Britain will throw open her great naval base at Singapore to American fighting ships if we ask it whoever controls Singapore controls India and the far flung lifeline of the Japanese statesmen have said that they would consider American use of the Singapore base a declaration of and that Nippon would fight to pre- vent of late Japanese official declarations have been more moderate in and some think that Japan may be slowly backing War One thing is certain wc are closer to war now than at any time since Wc can't go actively to war in for obvious geographical and So if we do it will be in the if that we would be automatically at war with Germany and the terms of the recent Axis Then a new World far greater in extent and purpose than the would at last be The armor-clad figure of Mars would shadow all the |
