An Ally Against Japan

U.S. citizens who wondered what was happening in the U.S.-Japanese crisis found out this week when Britain's Prime Minister took to the air Sunday. Said Winston Churchill:

"The United States are laboring with infinite patience to arrive at a fair and amicable settlement which will give Japan the utmost reassurance for her legitimate interests. We earnestly hope these negotiations will succeed. But this I must say: That if these hopes should fail we shall, of course, range ourselves unhesitatingly at the side of the United States. . . .

"For five long years Japanese military factions, seeking to emulate the style of Hitler and Mussolini . . . have been wandering about that vast land [China] in futile excursions, carrying with them carnage, ruin and corruption, and calling it 'the Chinese incident.' Now, they stretch a grasping hand into the southern seas of China. They snatch Indo-China from the wretched Vichy French. They menace . . . Siam . . . Singapore . . . and the Philippine Islands. . . .

"This has got to stop."

President Roosevelt thought so too. He was taking no nonsense from Japan. His instructions to the Cabinet departments grew sharper in tone. Result: the Japanese were impressed for the first time with the seriousness of the U.S. about-face from Far East appeasement.

Other developments of the week:

> One hundred U.S. citizens stranded in Japan when the Tokyo Government refused to promise clearance to the liner sent to evacuate them to the U.S. were being let out gradually by way of China.

> To Japan's already well-spanked bottom President Roosevelt gave one more mild slap. He upped the tariff 50% on canned crabmeat, of which the U.S. bought $3,269,000 worth from Japan last year.

> Washington reported that the U.S. had permitted no crude oil exports to Japan since Aug. 1.

> Said moonfaced, bespectacled Ambassador Nomura: "The gap between the positions of Japan and the U.S. must be bridged. It will be folly of the worst kind otherwise."

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