AIMS OF JAPAN

Opunake Times, 12 September 1941, Page 5

AIMS OF JAPAN

AMERICAN OFFICIALS “You had better ask the Government —they are the only ones who know what will happen,” said Mr. Nelson Johnson, newly-appointed United states Minister to Australia, when asked what were the possibilities of any move by Japan. Mr. Johnson, who is accompanied by his wife, son and daughter, arrived -.at Auckland recently on the Monterey on his wav to Sydney.

“Although more attention is now being focussed on the situation in the Far East, 1 do not think the position has changed materially,” Mr. Johnson said. He added that the Japanese occupation of Indo-C'hina had not surprised competent observers. .He did not think the Japanese would make much of their connests. Anart from taking what supplies they could., they would hardly he recompensed for their efforts.

Mr. Johnson first went to China 24 years ago, and had been in charge of the American Legation the.r e since 1930. When lie left. China in May, the morale of the people was amazingly high.

“I still strongly believe that the Chinese will never he conquered,” said Mr. Johnson. “After four years of intensive warfare, the Japanese hold many of the cities and lines of communication, hut they do not by any means hold the country. China is certainly feeling the I 4 effects of the war economically, I hut, being a vast agricultural pcounfliy, the effects are not ; so had as if it had been industrial. Aid to China from both Britain and the United States is increasing all the time.

Mr. Johnson said the people of America ■were strongly behind President Roosevelt in every effort ,he made to support Britain, Practically all sections of the community were now of this mind.

This view was shared by Mr. C. H. Derry, formerly American Consul at Perth, who is on his wav to Sydney to take up a similar position. Mr. Derry, who has held positions in the American Legations in Mexico, Paris and the Republic of Columbia, said, he would be delighted to return to Australia., whose people impressed him. He is accompanied by Mrs. Derry and Nheir daughter.

Another American Consul on the Monterey is M/r. Mason Turner, who will go to Perth. Mr. Turner, who is accompanied bv his wife and two daughters, has previously been stationed in Lima, Peru, for four years, prior to which he was in Colombo. Paris and Malta, with a short time in the Canary Islands.