GERMANY DELAYS DECLARATION

Waikato Times, Volume 129, Issue 21601, 11 December 1941, Page 4

GERMANY DELAYS DECLARATION

From the long list of messages received in the past few days beginning with the words “war has been declared,” there has been one notable absentee. Germany has delayed declaring war on the United States, although her Axis partner made the declaration some days ago. There can be no doubt that Germany is giving Japan such assistance as lies within her power, even if it does consist mostly of advice, sc that in reality Germany is operating against the United States. It is true also that the United States has not declared war on Germany, but it is evident that the tangle must be straightened out in the near future.

In the circumstances it is not surprising that the suggestion arose that Germany was leaving Japan to her fate, on the ground that Japan was an aggressor against the United States. Nobody doubts that Germany’s only concern With Japan is that she should hinder the Allies. No German wishes to see the Japanese Empire permanently paramount in the Far East as a challenge to the world-wide supremacy of the Hitlerian dictatorship. Now that Japan has committed herself she can expect encouragement from Germany only to the extent that Japanese actions advance the Nazi interests. As soon as it suits Germany, Japan will be abandoned to her fate. The alliance between the two countries is no more real or natural than that which was alleged to exist between Germany and Russia for the first two years of the war. Modern diplomacy among some nations has developed into a strange and tortuous thing. Germany has for months been leading the Japanese on with promises of material assistance should they enter the war. Japan should have known that unless the combined strength of the Axis could gain command of the sea, the eastern and western theatres of war would be kept in almost watertight compartments as far as the Axis was concerned, while the Allies would have the advantage of intercommunication. But there should be no mistake that as long as Germany feels that she and Italy alone are unable to defeat the Allies she will scheme to encourage and sustain Japan in the conflict. Collaboration in strategy there undoubtedly is. Fortunately, the Allies in the West are in a position to render material assistance from Germany almost negligible.