The Japanese
Sm,—Most people will agree with Mr. R. G. Abercrombie that harp- ing on the past is incompatible with the desire to ensure better inter- national relationships in the future; but, in giving expression to that admirable sentiment, Mr. Abercrombie surely provokes the very feeling which he wishes to still when he waxes ecstatic over Japanese loyalty as an ally in the First World War.
Without being drawn into the revival of bitter memories, it is perhaps permissible to remind Mr. Abercrombie of the " Twenty-one Demands" and the refusal of the Japanese to reinforce hard-pressed allied troops in France without being given a quid pro quo in the shape of Malaya. Mr. Abercrombie might also remember that there are many families in this country who would resent his suggestion that the wrong-doing to be found on the side of Great Britain in the Second World War is comparable with Japanese treatment of prisoners in Manila, Singapore, Hongkong and, indeed, in Burma.—Yours faithfully,
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