Treasonable Dreams

Every Japanese schoolboy worth his patriotic salt dreams nowadays of "the big war." It may be against Russia (see p. 14 ), or against the U. S., but the Sublime Emperor must triumph, the white barbarians must be brought under enlightened rule and the Japanese schoolboy must die a glorious death. To help him dream such dreams is the mission of dozens of retired Japanese officers who pepper the Empire with brightly printed pamphlets such as Dream of War Between the United States and Japan by fire-eating Lieut. Commander Kyosuke Fukunaga of the Imperial Navy, retired. Last week horrified U. S. customs men at Honolulu seized 77 boxes full of this Japanese classic aboard the crack liner Chichibu Maru, name-ship of Japan's Crown Prince.

In the Dream a Japanese destroyer is anchored at Shanghai near the flagship of the U. S. Asiatic Fleet, the cruiser Houston. Acting on his own responsibility, with no orders from his Japanese superiors, obscure "Lieut. Maki" abruptly fires a torpedo into the Houston, which sinks. Though a Japanese court martial sentences Lieut. Maki to be shot, war has meanwhile been declared. After a terrific air and naval battle most of the U. S. fleet is sunk and Japan as a starter seizes the Hawaiian Islands. The Dream ends as a monument to Lieut. Maki is unveiled in conquered Honolulu.

Queried about the Dream by U. S. correspondents last week, the Japanese Foreign Office spokesman said it was written "purely for entertainment." pointed out that the author is retired. To help the entertainment along Admiral Kanji Kato of Japan's Supreme War Council contributed a preface to the Dream in which he writes. "I hope the reading public will realize, through this, the importance of acquiring an air force for modern defense."

In another preface Vice Admiral Suetsugu, Commander of the Japanese Fleet, warmly praises Dream Author Fukunaga. "As commander of the Imperial Combined Fleet," he writes, "I may say that if a naval engagement were won in the manner described I would be much satisfied, and if a man like Lieut. Commander Fukunaga were my Chief of Staff, I would feel assured of the outcome. Indeed his article not only will interest the Japanese public but will give many hints to naval experts."

According to Dreamer Fukunaga the loyalty to the U. S. of the 140,000 Japanese residents of the Hawaiian Islands in the event of war would be "speculative." It was to them that the Chichibu Maru was carrying 77 cases of Dreams, seized by the U. S. customs as "treasonable."

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