July 26, 'The denunciation of Japan as an aggressor. by Mr. Sumner Welles, Acting Secretary of Slate for the U.S.A., is the logical outcome of the surrender by' the Vichy Government to the ultimatum from Tokyo demanding military and naval bases in Indo-China. The ultimatum was reinforced by the realization that Indo-China was in no position to resist, and that if the Japanese request were not Granted, Japan would take whatever, she wanted. Mr. Welles significantly recalled the repeated expressions of the Japanese Government in 1940 of the desire that, conditions of disturbance should not spread to the Pacific, with special reference to the Netherlands East Indies and French Indo-China. That desire was expressly concurred in by several other Governments including those of Great Britain and the United States. By September of Just year it was clear that there was a distinct difference between Japan's expressed idea and her real intentions, and changes under duress were achieved in Indo-China as witness the securing of bases in norther Indo-China for the purpose of bombing the Burma Road.
That was done under threat of force pre-elsely as has this latest surrender by Vichy been obtained, and, in the circumstances, the American view that Japan has merited denunciation as an aggressor, seems to be the only logical conclusion. 'The action of the 'United States Government follows inevitably upon that of Japan and the very definite attitude which' Washington has. consistently adopted of reprobating acts of aggression! With the view of the US. Government that
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.