The Japanese expression of readiness to mediate, or to take whatever action was calculated to restore peace and normal relations, not only in greater East Asia, but anywhere in the world, has failed to be productive of any effect whatever save to give rise to some misunderstanding and apparently no little embarrassment to Japan and her allies. There can be no doubt now that such an offer was made. It was first announced by Mr. Koh Ishii, deputy spokesman of the Japanese Information Board, and later conveyed to Mr. Anthony Eden, British Foreign Secretary in a communication from Mr, Yosuke Matsuoka, Japanese Foreign Minister. Publication of that fact created something in the nature of a sensation, and Mr, Matsuoka was driven to claim that he had-made no such offer and that the terms of his letter had been misunderstood. Mr. R. A. Butler, Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs an-nouriced in the House of Commons on Monday that the offer was in fact made, and that the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs had been informed by the British Prime Minister that there can be no question of a compromise or parley with*Germany.
This offer on the part of Japan, taken with the latest outpourings of the two European dictators, now appears in a most interesting light. Germany denies that it knew anything about it. On that subject Italy has made no statement. Yet the intimate connection between the Japanese Cabinet and Nazi representatives, who have penetrated the that they were ignorant of what was happen-Japanese political system, shuts out any belief
ing. While the British Government was studying Mr. Matsuoka's offer, Hitler seized upon the opportunity to make one of his usual speeches: apparently endeavouring to make British flesh creep by threats of what he would do with submarines in the spring. It was poor psychology if he thought for one moment that it would produce any such effect
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.