WAVING THE BLADE

With an act of diplomacy all too typical of its previous vacillations, the American government has given orders for the entire Atlantic fleet to sail for the Pacific and join the American vessels already there. The entire American navy will stortly be conducting operations within a short distance of the Sino-Japanese imbroglio. Such a situation is almost bound to be interpreted as a practical sequel to the policy outlined in Secretary Stimson's note of Feb. 24 to Senator Horah.

In that note be stated that treaties had been violated in the Far East, and that the United States, as a partner to those treaties, might legitimately conclude that she was no longer bound by them. The implaction was that this government could proceed to build its navy up to full strength.

The statement was a logical and moderate one, in line with our traditional policy in Eastern matters. It gave a dignity to bur diplomacy which had been sadly lacking before. So much the more unfortunate is this apparent effort to back it up with an aggressive display of force. Whether by design or coincidence, the administration is likely to cause another violent nationalistic reaction in Japan. Memory is all too clear about the effect on Japanese public opinion of the League's "firm stand" in November, and the anger caused by garbled accounts of Secretary Stimson's remarks on the last Manchurian offensive.