The Waikato Times TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1940 RUSSIA AND THE AXIS

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21232, 1 October 1940, Page 4

The Waikato Times TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1940 RUSSIA AND THE AXIS

World-wide reaction to the Japanese pact with the Axis Powers has been precisely what was generally expected in Britain. Germany, Italy and Japan are exploiting its propaganda value to the limit of their ability, but if they expected the announcement to strike terror into the hearts of the people of Britain and the United States they must be very disappointed. It seems that the Axis Powers have completely misjudged the spirit of the democratic peoples. If they imagined that the threat contained in the treaty would cause the United States to abandon her foreign policy and shrink within her own shell, the actual response must come as a shock to the parties to the pact, and particularly to Japan. It should have been obvious that the great American nation would only have been stirred to greatly increased defensive action. The diplomatic schemes of the reinforced Axis have not yet been completed, however. Japan has found that sharing the responsibilities of the Axis has exposed her to certain grave risks, of which Russia is one of the greatest. Therefore to complete the scheme Russia should be brought into an understanding with Japan. That is the next task, and Japan is approaching the Soviet. But there is evidence that Stalin is concerned rather with the future of Russia than with the world-wide depredations of the Axis Powers. It is reported that the Soviet has named conditions which Japan may not be prepared to accept, including the abrogation of the Portsmouth Treaty which settled the Russo-Japanese war and the demilitarisation of the Korea and Manchukuo frontiers with the Soviet. Those demands in themselves must be very disturbing to the Japanese mind. Stalin will make his own position secure before he consents to assist any other Power. That policy has been apparent throughout the negotiations of recent years. In Poland, in the Baltic and in the Balkans, Stalin has been serving not the Axis but Russia. Every agreement or aggression has had that effect. If the Axis desires anything of Russia it must give more in return. Japan wants a pact of non-aggression similar to that between Germany and Russia. In return for such a pact, will Japan be willing to place Russia in a much more favourable position to attack should she later have designs upon Japan, Manchukuo or Korea ? There is a further development which might even cause Russia to swing over to the side of Britain and America. This is what is already being termed the “ encirclement ” of Russia by the Axis Powers. Germany, Italy and Japan probably hope to win the war. If they should succeed, what would Russia’s position be ? The adherence of Japan to the pact has in fact almost completed the encirclement, providing Germany has control of the Baltic and Japan of Far Eastern waters. Russia no doubt would be willing to see the Axis progress to a given point, but would she be prepared to see the Axis win the war and achieve a position from which it could dictate to the rest of the world ? Russia must become and remain a full partner in the Axis, or remain independent; otherwise she may be running her head into a noose. For those reasons Japan’s negotiations for an agreement will be followed with great interest.