1940-10-02 — Page 7

CHINA MAI Japan's Pact With

WINDSOR HOUSE

HITLER'S PLAN?

The signing of the tripartite pact has been carried out with a Nazi spokesmen in Ber-great flourish of trumpets as though it were the solemn. pro- lin, have recently in pre-nouncement of final judgment, be- senting their versions of fore the victim against whom it is directed, was ; hanged;:, drawn great losses inflicted on

and quartered. On closer extims Britain, been beginning to ination, however, it turns, out to speak of their supposed be, not an indication of confid- effect on "an air force ence in final' victory so much as even as large as the staving off defeat..

:

The Axis

States, and by the closure of the Japan is for the time being the Burma Road, In spite of control King of the Castle in Indo-China of the whole coast of China, the and the United States is the dirty prospect of creating the new or- rascal for criticising this

an empty threat in the hope of der in that part of the world is south.

more remote than ever. · ·Having

RAF." It is a justified what is the position? Japan failed against Russia and second- admission of respect and loudly proclaimed for years thatly against China, having burden-

1

move

The control of this territory has

of

which animates Germany and Italy. The treaty. marks their failure to achieve the kind victory which alone will assurc their hegemony in Europe which they so loudly proclaim is theirs. Hitler has shouted from the house- tops that Britain would be invad- ed and subdued this year, and that he would dictate peace from Buckingham Palace in

August, assuming that Buckingham Palace was still standing.

one which must be forti- / Russia was the enemy in the same ed the nation with a colossal debt been gained, but now the cost is The simple and incontrovertible

fied in the minds of Ger- mans by the nightly news from the Rhineland.

way as Germany did. „Russia was internally corrupt, ruled by a gang of sub-human beings in Hitler's words, and could easily be conquered. Japan tested the

the battle for the hill of Chang Ko

and reduced the standard of liv-| being calculated. The rearma-

By CIVIS

the Berlin

the

Feng in July 1938 and then re- ing Japan now looks for another ination there is not going to be bases on the European coast with-

tired to think the

matter over. | way of escape.

The idea was that such a success-

France lies bleeding and help-

If Hitler's plan, what-strength of the Russian forces at ever it is, is to mean any- thing in the way of a de- cision it must not only justify some part of the ful war would be a way out from less, and her distant colonies un- long threatened assault the unsuccessful effort to subdue defended; with the connivance of on the British Isles but it China But it was realised that the Nazi people and as a bait to must also curb our de- such a campaign would involve lure Japan- in to the vortex the monstrated capacity for even greater risk and more like latter is urged to take advantage attack. The second neces- sity is clearly unfulfilled. at the present time and so long as it remains unful- filled it is impossible to maintain that the first is in effective operation.

German tales for home and neutral consumption grow, if anything, wilder as the air war deepens; they now even invent dis- sensions at our Air Minis- try. But of the serious intentions of the attempt- ed assault there is no doubt.

Convoys, ports, aero- dromes, balloon barrages, and here and there by night industrial centres- these are not targets of terrorism but of signifi- cant importance; if great and sustained damage. could be there inflict- ed our war effort would be accordingly handicapped | and attempted invasion by sea brought nearer.

But in spite of the in- creased severity of the at- tacks the damage does not increase as do the losses to the attackers.

If the aim of the "well- laid plan" is attrition, it is so far working to Ger- many's disadvantage both at home and in the air. But we cannot expect that the attacks will slacken; by sheer necessity of war and by the tales that have been told to his own peo- ple Hitler is too deeply committed to them. He must do something with what remains of the aut- umn and that something we must be prepared to meet in whatever form his necessity may drive him. to attempt. For the pre- sent the valour, sacrifices, and ability of the R.AF., both in defence and in at- tack, have served us mag- nificently and cannot be too gratefully saluted.

lihood of defeat than the cam- paign in which Japan was already Involved

*

*

of the situation.

The road North to Siberia is closed, the advance to the west through China having been held up for two years, the expansion

ment in the United States, carried fact remains that he has not done and on with all the tremendous indus- 50. Goebbels' loud threats

over denunciations trial resources of that country and the embargo on, metals, and radio have not been implemented aviation spirit destined for Japan, by the achievements of Goering's mean that the recognition by Gerluftwaffe. On the contrary many and Italy of Japan's dom-RAF. has blasted his invasion

unchallenged:

out intermission and to such a degree as to make the attempt. impossible. But that is merely ly how she is going to meet that the preliminary for the navy and challenge and this tripartite treaty the land forces in Britain also is one of the means by which she have to be overcome before peace. hopes to stave off the day of rec-can be dictated in London. It is koning. From the Japanese point a truly formidable task which the of view then, the signing of the Nazis have undertaken and to a pact with Germany and Italy! should hardly be accompanied by impossible one.

person of average intellect

The fact is the paeans of victory.

Nazis have been thinking in terms:

Japan has been pondering deep-

"

an

It is a treaty demanded by the of land power with the air force situation, because of abject fear.

In the fourth year of war in south is now opened up. Having China in spite of the assistance | failed' in two directions there is a rendered to her by the war mat- last hope she will succeed in the orial obtained. from the United third cffort. Like the little boy with Japan, it is a similar

FRIENDSHI

XIS-DIPLOMACY

as the spearhead of a successful attack, as in Poland. Britain,

If, however, that is the case however, is not Poland neither fear from a geographical, military,

-IT JUST KEEPS ROLLING ALONG

Stamta

naval, or aerial point of view. It is the centre of the British Em- pire and the focus of its power.

· Hitler then has proclaimed his failure since he has, wisely failed to make. the attempt. Italy, too, which has been urging Germany to get on with the blitzkrieg. against Britain, is obviously wor- ried: She fears a long war and the power of the United States.

'There has been no progress--in her major operations in Africa, her warships carefully avoid con- tact with the British fleet, which parades the Mediterranean»,

för days on end, as in times of peace, Eoth Italy and Germany, who have nothing whatever to offer Japan except the French derelict possession of Indo-China, Ibok for her help against the United States. They also are afraid of the future. Japan then is expected to face the United States, and from Ger- many she will get sympathy and encouragement in her predica-

ment.

娑

China which is handed over on paper to the tender mercies of Japan is now in a stronger posi >tion than before, since Japan hav- ing Interests elsewhere will pro- bably be satisfied to contain the Chinese - armies within their pre- sent positions and will scek ulti- mately to make a graceful with- drawal on some plea or other. With regard to Italy and Germany it would seem that Free China's attitude row must be one of non- belligerency The activities of the German and Italian nationals in Free China are now officially an- nounced to be in favour of Japan. Whatever trade they are carrying on in wolfram and such things should be stopped seeing that the supply of this material to Ger many indirectly helps Japan in her efforts at conquest. It would be ironic to welcome the Ameri- can embargo on scrap metal and aviation spirit and to aid Japan's ally in any way whatever The new embargo begins on October 16th and the Burma Road Is expected to bo. re-opened about the same date.