MISSED CHANCE

New Zealand Herald, Volume 78, Issue 24102, 22 October 1941, Page 9

MISSED CHANCE

JAPAN AND PACIFIC CONDITIONS A YEAR AGO AMERICAN WRITER'S VIEWS [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION*] WELLINGTON, Tuesday The probability of war with Japan arose from the eighth point of the Atlantic Charter, which proposed the disarming of aggressor and potential aggressor nations, said Mr. Hallet Abend, American journalist, addressing the Travel Club to-day. Japan could never consent to be disarmed, because without her army and navy she would be a third-class Power. If Singapore was weakened, and if the Indies sent aeroplanes to Europe, Japan would undoubtedly take advantage and move. Japan to-day had immobilised forces in the Pacific basin that were probably sufficient to swing the balance against Hitler if they could be transferred to other fronts, said Mr. Abend. A year ago there was much talk of the strength of the Malay States, the East indies and the Philippines. "All that talk about such strength that Japan did not dare move was simply bluff," he added, "but we got away with it. We could not then have done anything. Japan missed her chance last year." Air. Abend said the Bismarck was to have come to the Pacific with her two fast convoying cruisers. That information had been published in America on the basis of papers from rescued German officers. If the Bismarck had succeeded in reaching the Pacific, Japan would have immediately attacked. Japan had two ships very like the Bismarck, one to go into commission in March and one in August. "The Japanese Navy works behind a wall of secrecy," said the speaker, "but we think their markmanship is deplorable. The Japanese air force consists of 6500 aeroplanes, and there is an output of 300 aeroplanes a month."

THE NEW CABINET MILITARY DOMINATION [BY TELKGHAPH—I'RKSS ASSOCIATION*] WELLINGTON, Tuesday "The new Japanese Cabinet is militaristic from the word go," declared Mr. Hallett Abend, the noted American journalist, m an interview. Plainly Prince Konoye, the ex-Prime Minister, was thrown out because the appeasement move with the United States was getting nowhere, he added. The Japanese army and navy had extraordinary powers over the Cabinet and the War and Navy Ministers were responsible to none other than the Emperor. The Cabinet could not be formed until the army and the navy nominated their Ministers. Practically every man in the new Cabinet had figured in connection with the China incident.

In Shanghai to-day, Mr. Abend fiaid, it was virtually the Japanese who controlled almost every activity. European trade had gone, killed by Japanese control of the customs.

The institution by Japan of an air service between Pefew Island and the northern coast of Portuguese Timor had nothing to do -with commercial air transport. Imagination had to be stretched to justify for Japan, which was already short of petrol and oil. a daily mail and passenger service of over 1200 miles of sea to a tiny settlement of a piece of land almost as barren as much of Australia's desert country.