The Ypsilanti Daily Press

Observations on Japanese Menace Still Not Fully Estimated
By Charles P. Stewart

Rather belatedly, Australia, New Zealand and China are beginning to wake up Uncle Sam as to the proportions of the Japanese menace. On our own part, General MacArthur, with his trumpet calls for American reinforcements in the Pacific oceanic area, hasn't been a bit somnolent, either. The trouble's been, though, that we've been rather too dependent upon British Prime Minister Churchill's assurance that Nippon can be finished off in short order, once the Nazis are disposed of.

Winston apparently suffered under the same delusion that we were victims of. This hallucination was to the effect that the Japs have an outright suicidally belligerent class, but only a small one, with little popular backing. Also it was agreed that they are pretty good imitators of Occidental fighting methods, but poor at originating their own. And they weren't regarded as having basic resources worth mentioning.

There was a modicum of accuracy concerning this reasoning. The Nips' military group (the Samurai) is numerically inconsiderable, but seemingly the bulk of the island folk are willing enough to back it up while it's giving a creditable performance. They also have given evidences that they're tolerably capable at inventiveness in an emergency. Originally, too, they doubtless were decidedly shy on resources, but they've acquired a lot of 'em during a several years' Oriental war, which the Occident has been oblivious of until very lately. Furthermore, they're geographically too remote to be conveniently reached by any western power except Russia, and the Soviets have their own troubles with Germany, sufficiently to keep 'em busy indefinitely.

Consequently, while it doesn't follow that they can't be licked in the long run, it's no safe conclusion that it won't be a fierce job when the time arrives to deal with it.

Eastern home-staying England, then, knows no more about the Pacific than our Atlantic seaboard does. However, the Australasians get the point. They're more anxious for our help than John Bull is. They're hollering for Yankee aid more vociferously than our folk, General MacArthur excepted.

Backing up General 'Mac,' Australia's foreign minister, Herbert V. Evatt and New Zealand Minister Walter Nash have been in Washington, boosting for more anti-Jap assistance in jig-time. And, of course, Mme. Chiang Kai-shek has been the conspicuous Chinese emissary.

It's suggested that, with a bit of good management, Mohandas Gandhi of India might be aligned likewise. Gandhi, though, is a trifle too independent to be reckoned with. Too dotty, too, to be counted on.

Well, it's a world war. Only is it a world war between the East and West? And is it between generations? And races—and continents?

It's supposed to be inter-racial and inter-continental. It's inter-continental, as between the New and the Old Worlds.

Ours is the new world. We're kinda organizing inclusive of Australasia. How about all the Americas?—including Canada?—and Australia et cetera? And China?

They're trying to tie up with us. The thing isn't far from an inter-Britannic-American combination union. Hook it up with the Chinese democracy—and then what?