JAPANS ENTRY INTO WAR

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23514, 17 December 1941, Page 3

JAPANS ENTRY INTO WAR

—*— REACTION IN DUTCH EAST INDIES j “VERY STRONG AIR FORCE 1 BUILT UP” I (P.S.S.) AUCKLAND, December 16. That the entry of Japan into the war. and the expansion of hostilities involv- j ing the Americas, would tend to , shorten rather than lengthen the period ( of conflict was the view expressed by • Mr C. A. van Dover,e, an official re- ] presentative of the Dutch press in the ■ Netherlands East Indies, who has ar- « rived in Auckland on his way to New ; York and London. Intensification of ] hostilities and the consolidation of the j Allied Powers’, resources would irev- j itably bring to bear a greater weight • of arms on the enemy, he said. < Mr van Bovene recalled that the ; Netherlands East Indies had been ( negotiating with Japan for well over ; a year before the American and Jap- : anese talks commenced in Washing- ( ton. Official opinion in Batavia was that these talks would be just as fruit- 1 less as were those of his country with Japan. The Japanese were asking for , too much, he continued. After referring to the economic measures taken by the A.B.C.D Powers, it was fully expected in the Netherlands East Indies that Japan , would choose her own time to strike: but the feeling was that the talks would be protracted until the fall of Moscow or until the beginning of the year. The blow had fallen earlier than was expected; but in the meantime the people of the Netherlands East Indies had been preparing themselves by building up an army, and a very strong air force. “We have a large number of war aeroplanes, bombers, and fighters, mostly of American make, of practic ally every type,’’ Mr van Bovene added. “After the onslaught on Honolulu we decided to join with the A 1 led Powers and reverse our attitude of defence to one of offence.” The Netherland Pacific fleet was also an important arm and had a large number of very fast mosquito craft. A complete black-out was observed in all cities in the East Indies, he said. He had noticed that Sydney had not instituted a black-out; but he did not consider that unusual in view of its distance from the seat of hostilities. There was great satisfaction, in the East Indies that the people there had the United States, Britain, and China now fighting by their side. The feeling was prevalent there that Russia would join in the war in the Pacific. With such powerful allies he did not for a second doubt the outcome of the conflict. Had Japan struck in June, 1940, after the collapse of France, the issue might have been different. “W'e feel that Japan has been too late in her move,” he added. “The latest Japanese aggression might be described as a magnificent suicide, or in their own phrase, rational hara-kiri,” said Mr van Bovene. He said he was on his way to visit the Dutch press branch offices in New York and London, and he would remain in England until the end of the war.