By 0. a1. Gmiex the object of the German-Ialian= Japanese pact was to frighten us and 'America into good behaviour, it merely Shows how completely the three partners misunderstand Anglo-American psychology. Not only has the exact reverse resulted, but Australia, whose fears for the possible' cut~ ting of the route between her and England were a considerable part of the argument for the closing of the Burma road, has changed her views and is now drawing towards the common defence scheme which begins {0 take shape amlong the United States, Canada and ourselves, as shown by the activity of the Australian Minister in Washington.
More and more, opinion moves to the of that Hitler's real object in cajoling Japan into the pact was (0 ensure a hostile force on Russia's rear, Five yeats ago a Russian official in London, with whom T had become somewhat intimate, told me thet "we Russians know that Hitler means to have the Ukraine. He will first crush France, then he will attack us in order to secure his supplies of food, and then he will tun upon you." Mr. Atchibald Rose, whose insight into' policy is well known, said much the same thing, "Hitler wants to confront Russia with the danger of a war fon two. frontiers when he. attacks the Ukraine." There is evidence that since the Finnish campaign the Russian army has been undergoing a thorough overhaul to correct the many foulls which the war had revealed. That is, perhaps, merely a normal procedure. But it is very unlikely that so astute man a8 Stalin has any ilusions about the value of Hitler's signature on treaties.
No one can understand why the Japanese. usually long-sighted, have allowed them= selves to be drawn into a bargain in which their partners can give them no help, while it endangers their trade with America and ourselves, with whom 70 per cent. of their business "is done. But. the Japanese Army seems for a long time to have been bent on Taunching Japan beyond redemption on the downward path {o the everlasting bonfire. Most Japanese in London are utterly distress~ ed by the pact from the Ambassador downwards, Tam {old that on the afternoon when was signed, Mr. Shigemitsu had been at the Foreign Ofice discussing the possible im= provement of Anglo-Japanese relations. He fame home, turned on the radio, and heard the fatal news.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.