Two of the most singular stories in connection with the war emanate from the United States, and while there may be some doubt as to their actual veracity, they are not by any means improbable. The first is that Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia have a working agreement providing for the division of the spoils in the event of Great Britain anc China being defeated. It is ap~ parent that the Axis Powers have been doing a great deal of wishful thinking, and indeed counting their chickens before they are hatched. Japan, according to these reports, would be assured a hegemony over the Far East; Russia would have Afghanistan and India; Germany would have the western con~ tinent' including Scandinavia, Central Europe, and northern Spain; and Italy. would inherit Turkey and north Africa; Southern Africa would be divided between Italy and Germany, Moly controlling the Mediterranean, Hitler the Atlantic, and Japan the Pacific. It is all apparently to be just as simple as that, But great deal will have to happen before anything of the nature occurs, for Great Britain is certainly not defeated yet, and there is every reason to believe that she will not be. The only comment necessary seems to be that if the leaders of the Axis Powers really do think along such lines, there is no parti~ cular harm in their doing so, though they will be brought soon enough to a realization that there is a very wide gap between think= ing and acting.
The second story is even more interesting. A writer to the "Washington Post" declares that the German Ambassador to Tokyo, General Eugen Ott twice called upon Prince Konoye, before he took office, and demanded the appointment of General Oshima, former Japanese Ambassador to Germany, as Foreign Minister, and the elimination of' all liberal elements from the Japanese Cabinet, the quid pro quo being "Axis help in securing, control over the Netherlands East Indies. General Oshima did not receive the suggested appointment, While there is nothing avail able to confirm this story, it should be pointed out that it is by no means unlikely. The German influence in Japan has grown re= markably of Jate, and there is not the slight= est doubt that Germany is making a strong bid to obtain the active intervention of Japan this war. Tt may be asked why this should bbe the case, and the answer, very patently, is that Hitler fully realizes the defeat he faced with, and is prepared to make all sorts of promises to those he may be able to per= suade to assist him in his present predicament, The world fully realizes exactly what worth is {0 be attached to his promises and those nations likely to be indueed to pull the chestnuts out of the fire for him should realize that there is not {he slightest likelihood of those promises being fulfilled.
The notorious bad faith of Hitler venders it more than likely that those who stand by him would, in the event of his proving suecessful in this present struggle, find themselves completely betrayed when he considered himself strong enough to do so. The fact is that Germany Is in no condition to give Japan any assistance in the Far East. Nor is Italy. They have both more than they can conveniently handle at the present time, and the Japanese would do well to remember that fact. If the report in the "Washington Post" is correct it should give the Japanese furiously to think, for a more direct intervention in the domestic affairs of a friendly nation it is diMeult to conceive. The point is well made that should Germany emerge victorious from this war, which she will not, the Japanese could expect as little freedom fas any other country in the new world order which Hitler is endeavouring to create, must not be forgotten that a German hegemony over Europe is but the first step towards the fulfilment of the grandiose ambitions which Hitler socks to gratify. He desires nothing Jess than the subjection of the whole world to Germany, and that in= cludes Japan, just as much as it does. the United States. The division of the world as suggested above, would be economically ni sound, even from a German point of view for it would place sources of essential supplies completely under Japanese control, stich as india rubber, tin and the like. Nor, for the same reason would Germany long encourage Japanese expansion in the Far East, and the only conclusion is that Germany is indulging a lot of fair promises for the purpose of catching gulls.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.