A telegram from Tokyo published in another column, draws attention to a—correspondent's letter on the subject of the proposed boycott of the Olympic games in 1940, The reasons underlying the Chinese suggestion can be fully understood, They arise from indignation which they must naturally feel over the way their country has been treated by Japan, and resentment at the wrong which have been inflicted upon her and her people. Whether the suggestion will commend itself to other nations likely to compete at Tokyo may be doubted, The suggestion for such a boycott has already been made, and the opinion was generally expressed that it was not desirable that politics should be imported into sport. That is a very proper spirit, and will probably inspire whatever replies are given to the originators of the proposal from the various international sporting bodies to which the appeal has been addressed, Chinese sportsmen may very well decide to refrain from participating in the competitions to be held in Tokyo if hostilities are continued until the Olympics come to be held. They could properly do so on the ground that they did not wish to consort with their enemies, but for other nationals to accept the same view would mean a departure from that neutrality upon which the world insists at the present moment, would afford no valuable contribution towards the settlement of this present unhappy business, might do harm in tending towards the exacerbation of Japanese feelings, And who knows?
Perhaps, by the time the games come to be held, this struggle will have come to an end, It is devoutly hoped that this will be the case, and if then there were adherence to a decision taken during the heat of battle, it might serve only to irritate the Japanese, and would certainly destroy all prospects of success which it is hoped will attend the games the year after next,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.