Evening star., 1925-08-28

How the Japanese and the Soviet
Russians regard each other is the
theme of many a news report coming
from Moscow and from Toxic! The
rapprochement of those two peoples is
the easiest text the correspondents
| can discuss, for, to most readers, the
mysteries, about which one story is as
plausible as another. 1t behooves a
correspondent who writes from Rus
sia to please the Russian censor-or
get out
There is said to be but one CORE
spondent who has survived more than
three or four months In Soviet Russia
1t takes nearly that long for his dis
patches to be published in America
and get back to Russia, even IL he
succeeds in the first place in getting
by the censor. Then his passports
hint that he is done.
But there is one correspondent, Mr..
Walter Duranty, who has lived nearly
two years in Moscow. He had the
misfortune to meet with a severe ac-
cident which compelled him to return
to England for surgery and remain
away from the scenes of his journal
istic exploits several months. He has
now returned to Moscow, just in time
| to discover how the Soviets and Japa.
nese have drawn together In brotherly
love, and he tells about it.
According to Mr.. Duranty, since
1923 it has become evident that So
Wet diplomacy was turning away from
Europe toward Asia, for the European q
proletariat did not seem to appreciate
sovietiSm. The awakening of nation
alistic spirit in China and India gave
Soviet statesmen the idea that they
should turn from the Occident to the
Orient. simultaneously, japanese
statesmen realized that. the Soyiets
might become valuable friends in an
otherwise unfriendly world. (The fact
| that Japan had never fought any OF
the allies except Russia did not seem
| to impress these Japanese statesmen
so far as Mr.. Duranty saw.
The cautious SovietS were wary of
Japanese advances, since communism
| had made no headway in Japan, but
at last their suspicious were allayed
upon rejecting that the Japanese had
| had possession Of Vladiyostok for four
years and had found the climate III
| Winter too cold. Russia was i'm
pressed with the thought that. al
| though Japan must find an outlet for
L
doubling every so yearS-she could
not encroach upon Siberia, because
of the climate. All fears being al
| layed, Russian orators began boast
| ing that they, too, were Ortentals.
| cousins of the Japanese, and that
| they should love one another. That
rapprpchement became the Oriental
| menace of the peace Of the world, In
| the Chinese anarchy and the expect
| ed revenge against America and the
| European allies. Russia and Japan
| united could conquer the world
maybe.
An official of our Government, who
is familiar with the Orient, upon
reading the Duranty dispatch, re.
marked: How very little soap 1t
takes to make a great bubbles"
| If ever there was keen rivalry for
| trade advantage, such a contest is on
| right now. in the building. or at least
| the projecting, of railroads by Soviet
connect with the inland regions of
Manchuria and the Pacific ports.
| The Transsiberian Railroad, east OF
Lake Baikal, reaches Vladiyostok via
| a route across Manchuria. which
runs along three sides OF an oblong
Russia has planned on paper a new
| connection across Mongolia. by which
two days travel would be eliminated
but the Soviets have not the funds to
build that great road. The Japanese
are building a rival road which. when
In operation, will completely undo the
usefulness of all that part OF the
Transsiberian road in Manchurian and
Mongolian territory.
A. = prize In the Rusoo-Japaness