POSSIBLE MOVES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20106, 28 November 1939, Page 11

POSSIBLE MOVES

JAPAN IN PACIFIC AMERICAN ANALYSIS PHILIPPINES DEFENCE VITAL POLICY TALKS (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Reed. Nov. 27, 2.50 p.m.) WASHINGTON. Nov. 26. The Foreign Policy Association, in a report questioning whether Japan is content to expand her trade pacifically or to seek the advantage of Europe's pre-occupation, believes that Japan would face many special difficulties if she attempted to seize British, French or the Netherlands’ Far Eastern possessions.

The report argues that the European nations could not offer effective military resistance. The French, Dutch and British, including the New Zealand and Australian navies, are small and Japan could easily cope with the available forces in a major naval engagement unless the United States was engaged, but the occupation of distant territories and the maintenance of long communication lines would be most difficult and would severely strain the Japanese economic structure.

The report adds that without doubt the United States would interpret a Japanese attack on the Philippines as a declaration of war. but it is impossible to foresee the United States' attitude in the event of an attack elsewhere.

Philippines Conference

A report from Manila says that Admiral Thomas Hart, commander of the United States Asiatic fleet, and Mr. Clarence Gauss, American ConsulGeneral at Shanghai, have arrived to confer with the United States High Commissioner in the Philippines, Mr. M. Francis Sayre, on American interests and policies in the Far East.

Admiral Hart declared that the situation at Tientsin had gone beyond the annoyance stage.

He minimised the significance attached to the proposed conference with Mr. Sayre. Nevertheless, the Phillipine Herald, in an editorial, expressed the beliet that important decisions regarding the United States’ Far East policy arc likely to result from the conference, possibly even the ultimate policy being evolved. Senator K. Pittman, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that the United States should not attempt to appease Japan. The conditions between America and Japan were similar, if not more aggravated than when the trade treaty was denounced.

Japan had continued to violate the righls of United States' citizens. It would be futile to enter into a new commercial agreement until Japan made efforts to observe the NinePower Treaty.

He added that he proposed to urge the passing of legislation empowering the President to impose an embargo on Japanese imports.