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Possible Grab. Should Adolf Hitler be so improvident as to dribble The Netherlands Indies ball in Japan's direction by invading Holland—it looked as if he might for a few days last week—could Japan pick it up? She probably could. Britain and France would be able to offer only limited interference. Since many U. S. experts consider the Philippines untenable in war, it is highly unlikely that the Pacific Fleet would care to contest an Indies grab. The U. S. people, knowing that Asia is a long way off, feel that it is not up to them to defend the Dutch Queen's property. Japan is unquestionably banking on that point of view as heavily as Hitler used to bank on British "appeasement."
The Netherlands Indies' Army is little more than an efficient police force to keep the natives in order. The Dutch Navy could not long resist the Japanese Fleet, even though the invaders would be attacking recklessly far from home. Japan's Fleet is far from being as war-weary as her Army.
If Mr. Hull's warning turns out to be just a bluff, and few observers thought it was more, Japan is quite likely some day to indulge her habit of starting trouble when the cops are looking the other way. If she does, the cop with the reddest face will be the U. S.—since everyone knows that the Western World considers the Pacific his beat.