NEWS OF THE WEEK
THE misgivings expressed in these columns and elsewhere regarding the closing of the Burma road into China under pressure from Japan have found swift justification. There was nothing to suggest that to concede one demand would prevent others from being methodically advanced. The arrest of eleven British subjects last week—four have since been released and one or two others arrested—creates a situation of the utmost seriousness, and it is aggravated by the death of one of the arrested men, Mr. Melville Cox, Reuter's correspondent in Tokyo, in circumstances which deprive the Japanese explanation of suicide of all credibility. What lies behind the action of the new pro-Axis Government at Tokyo is not yet clear. It may simply be that, at the instance of German agents, a drive is being made against those British subjects in Japan who have worked hardest to improve relations between japan and Britain. It may be that Japan is deliberately manufacturing excuses for open war at a time when the British Fleet is thought to be tied to Euro- pean waters. Whatever the explanation, the only possible course is for this country to take the firmest stand and be ready to accept whatever consequences may ensue. Meanwhile Pre- sident Roosevelt's ban on the export of petrol deals a heavy blow at Japan's military, naval and air efficiency. Its effect may be to stimulate Japanese designs on the Dutch East Indies, the nearest and most obvious source of oil-supplies. Such a move could not leave the United States indifferent.
