TOUR OF PACIFIC.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 230, 27 September 1940, Page 6

TOUR OF PACIFIC.

AMERICAN PRESSMEN.

"ORIENT IS ON TIME BOMB."

(B.- Air.) SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 21

The expedition hy a party of American newspapermen by Pan-American Clipper to Australasia and the Orient and back to San Francisco, was summed up by James Bassett, of Los Angeles, upon arrival in the Californlan metropolis when he said: " The entire Orient is sitting on a time bomb, dropped at Munich long ago, and waiting with fatal stoicism to see whether it will be one which explodes with devastating suddenness or just a dud.

" With a group of other newspapermen, I have just finished a 30,000-mile tour of the Orient by Pan-American planes to New Zealand, and return. What will happen there is a question with 'two big ifs.' These two bis '«fs' are the continued presence of the United States Fleet in the Pacific and the status of the British Navy after the present war in Europe is decided. The presence of the United States Fleet in the, Paci.ic is now a considerable deterrent to any further moves by Japan toward new conquests, but the status of the British Fleet when the European war is finished will be the deciding factor in the situation.

"There is plenty of worry in the Orient as to what Japan's next move may be. Every country over there is eager to present its case to the United States. Hongkong probably could hold out several months against attack. Singapore is strongly defended but needs more battleships. Australia and New Zealand are pouring munitions and men back to England and are increasing their own defences.

" The Dutch East Indies are patriotic and their navy and air forces are strong When war was declared they arrested all Nazis, and now bamboo spears are stuck in the ground upright in all flat areas to greet expected parachute troops."