JAPAN'S REPLY

Evening Post, Volume cxxiv, Issue 148, 20 December 1937, Page 11

JAPAN'S REPLY

AMERICA WAITING

INDIGNATION HAS MOUNTED

GUARANTEES SOUGHT

.(United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.)

NEW YORK, December 18.

The United States is seething with conjecture as to what action the Government is contemplating if the expected reply from Japan is deemed unsatisfactory. Public indignation has mounted owing to the prominent displays in the newspapers of eye-witness accounts of the boarding and bombing of the Panay. In this, American and British writers are agreed regarding the essential facts, leaving no doubt as to the deliberate character of the attack.

Despite official denials, the feeling persists that the Administration is planning a naval demonstration }n the Orient, Even such newspapers as the "New York Times" continue to insist on such action.

There is i>. likelihood of the intensity of the situation being increased by Press reports from Tokio to the effect that a struggle is raging in the innermost Japanese Government circles between the civil and military factions, with Mr. Hirota waging a lone battle to obtain further concessions to the United- States.

The American public are unlikely to be satisfied with any evasive or incomplete reply to President Roosevelt's demands. Reports from Nanking of wholesale Japanese atrocities and vandalism are fanning the general resentment.

Responsible officials at Washington declared that President Roosevelt, before closing the Panay incident, is determined to obtain definite and concrete Japanese guarantees against future attacks on United States ships and citizens in China.

Official dispatches from the American Government representatives in China are confirming in detail the eye-witness accounts from newspapermen concerning the attack. Hence the officials state that, due to such dispatches giving more and more ground for official suspicion that the attack was much more deliberate than accidental, the position of the United States Government has now passed beyond demands for recorded apologies and reparations. - Meanwhile the Administration _is seeking a more responsible authority than the Japanese civilian Government to underwrite such guarantees, in accordance with strong indications from: the Secretary of State (Mr. Cordell, Hull) who, with other officials, expresses the belief that past experience has demonstrated the complete inability of the Japanese civilian Government to control the military and naval forces or to give dependable guarantees of their future actions. _ it was with these conditions in mind that President Koosevclt bluntly requested that his views be communicated directly to the Emperor of Japan. Interest continues to be concentrated on Representative Louis L. Ludlow s proposed constitutional amendment iequiring a national referendum. before Congress could declare war. President Roosevelt, when asked at a Press conference whether he thought a national referendum v/as consistent with a representative form of government, uttered an emphatic "No," but he declined to make further comment.

Representative Allen introduced a resolution to appropriate 600,000 dollars to evacuate Americans from China. He said 6000 persons still remain, being unable to leave for financial reasons.

President Roosevelt, in his demands to Japan concerning the Panay incident, has the support of the majority of Americans, who, while not wanting war, deeply resent the insult. Ob-

servers agree that additional instances similar to the Panay are likely to change resentment to a spirit of war.

The great interest in the Panay situation is demonstrated by the fact that the newspapers are devoting most of their, front pages to it and many columns inside, with daily editorials and many letters from readers.