BRITISH POLICY IN FAR EAST

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23894, 23 August 1939, Page 11

BRITISH POLICY IN FAR EAST

LOOKING FACTS IN THE FACE It is best to look facts in the face, however unpleasant, says General Sir Hubert Gough in a letter in the Sunday Times on the Far East question. Behind the conquest in China, in Japanese minds, lies the destruction of the British Empire, the conquest of India, and control of the Pacific. Japan is, in fact, making war on us already, almost openly, while trying to persuade or frighten us into believing that she is not. She is, in fact, trying to hypnotise us, and to create in us the frame of mind of the frightened hare, which lies down and wails for its enemy to seize it. China, therefore, is fighting our battle as much as her own. and every help in the form of armaments which we can send to China should be sent. It would be money well spent. If, or rather when, we are to send a battle squadron to Singapore is a question for Lord Chatfield and the Admiralty; but all I can say is that dangers in Europe should not lead us to over-insure ourselves on those seas when equally vital interests have to be defended elsewhere. Some people say that we must not antagonise the Japanese, because to do so would be to play the game of the Axis Powers. There is a psychological error here, for in this great game of bluff that is being played by the dictators any evident sign of weakness or of fear of Japan in case we are not strong enough to defend our Empire wherever it is threatened is only a further encouragement to them. A strong and very firm attitude towards Japan would have the exact opposite effect, giving evidence of our strength and, more important still, of our resolution.