pots.

For the same reason the Japanese press, and the English press in Eastern
Asia which was inspired by Japan, continually drew attention to the
Philippines, as though that archipelago were to be the first point of
attack. For this reason, too, the English-Chinese press published at the
beginning of the year the well-known plans for Japan's offensive naval
attack and the transport of two of her army corps to the Philippines.
And the ruse proved successful. Just as Russia had been taken completely
by surprise because she would persist in her theory that Japan would
begin by marching upon Manchuria, so now the idea that Japan would first
try to capture the Philippines and Hawaii had become an American and an
international dogma. The world had allowed itself to be deceived a
second time, and, convinced that the first blow would be struck at
Manila and Hawaii, they spent their time in figuring out how soon the
American fleet would be able to arrive on the scene of action in order
to save the situation in the Far East.

"Never speak of it, but think of it always!" While Japan was
disseminating these false notions as to the probable course of a war,
the actual preparations for it were being conducted in an entirely
different place, and the adversary was induced to concentrate his
strength at a point where there was no intention of making an attack.
The Japanese were overjoyed to observe the strengthening of the
Philippine garrison when the insurrection inspired by Japanese agents
broke out at Mindanao as well as the concentration of the cruiser
squadron off that island, for Manila, the naval base, was thus left
unprotected. With the same malignant joy they noticed how the United
States stationed half of its fleet off the Pacific coast and, relying on
her mobile means of defense, provided insufficient garrisons for the
coast-defenses, on the supposition that there would be plenty of time to
put the garrisons on a war-footing after the outbreak of hostilities.

Japan's next move came in March and April, when she quietly withdrew all
the regular troops from the Manchurian garrisons and replaced them with
reserve regiments fully able to repulse for a time any attack on the
part of Russia. The meaning of this move was not revealed until weeks
later, when it became known that the transport ships from Dalny and
Gensan, which were supposed to have returned to Japan, were really on
their way to San Francisco and Seattle with the