Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-06
Kellogg Springs Surprise in
His Appeal for Immunity
of Foreign Settlement.
RECEPTION OF PROPOSAL
BY FACTIONS UNCERTAIN
Britain Gets Backing of Mussolini
III Protective Policy for For
eigners in China.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
formal proposal by Secretary
Kellogg to the warning factions in
China for elimination of the interna-
tionaI settlement at Shanghai from
the theater of hostilities has injected
a new element into the tangled
Chinese situation.
The proposal has been forwarded to
Minister MacMurray at Peking for
textual delivery both in Peking and
Hankow. Pending its receipt by the
leaders of the two factions, publica-
ton of the text was withheld at the
State Department.
The only information given as to its
nature was the statement that it con-
templated the exemption of the
Shanghai international settlement
from the theater of military opera
tions in the Chinese civil war. So
far as could be learned, the immunity
from attack or incidental damage to
foreigners and their property would
be confined strictly to the international
settlement and not extended to in
the boundaries of the settlement,
Wnlcn WoutO pe neutraliZeQ-
Move Comes as Surprise.
For that reason State Department
officials drew distinction between the
Kellogg proposal and reports that he
had suggested a neutral zone agree
nnent to the Chinese leaders.
The new American move to protect
American and other foreign nationals
in Shanghai and their property from
violence came as a complete surprise.
There was no previous intimation that
an effort was contemplated to get the
northern and southern leaders in
China to agree to a course thar would
make unnecessary the evacuation of
Shanghai by foreigners or require s.x-
tensive landing operations by foreign
naval forces TO guarantees protection.
Undoubtedly the kellogg plan is
founded upon the repeated public dec
laratiOps OF FOREIGN Ministes, Eswsnas
Chen OF the Cantonese faction. and
Wellington Koo, who holds now a
similar post In Peking, that both sides
desired to protect foreigners from mo-
lestation and had no desire 10 bring
about ar actual exodus Of foreigners
at Shanghai. 1t is to be expected that
Minister MacMurray has probably al
ready taken steps to present the pro-
posal directly TO Chang TSo Lin, Man
churian war lord and the dominating
figure in the alliance of northern pro-
vincial military governors, which is
opposed TO the Cantonese effor. to
spread the power Of that faction over
northern China.
Unusual Procedure Followed.
The government machinery at
Picking has no firm constitutional
background which would justify the
usual methods of diplomatic ex-
changes being relied upon exclusively.
AT Hankow, however, which is now
headquarters of the Cantonese regime,
1t is assumed that Foreign Minister
Chen has sufficient authority TO ON
init the Cantonese government to a
course of action such as Mr.. Kellogg
has proposed.
In the absence of the proposals
themselves or of the detailed negotia-
tions which their acceptance by both
sides probably would involve, 1t is not
possible to state what steps toward
insuring the protection of the inter
national settlement might be required
by foreign naval forces concentrated
in that vicinity, The line of de-
markation between the settlement and
the native city is no more than a mar
row street running through a. con-
gested center of population with
houses and buildings on both sides
Just how the two Chinese factions
will receive the proposal Washington
officials refuse to predict. Some of
them doubt that this plan viii be ac-
cepted, as they believe there is too
much at stake at Shanghai for the
Northerners to surrender control they
now exercise or for the Southerners
10 abandon their efforts to capture
this huge commercial center.
Others More Optimistic.
Other observers, however, are in
clined to believe that by limiting the
proposed exemption strictly to the
international settlement Secretary
Kellogg may have paved the way for
an acceptance, due to the desire of
bOta Chinese groups to avoid any
actual clash with the forces of foreign
governments.
They point out that, in any event,
should the Cantonese drive, now a
hundred miles or more south OF
Shanghai, continue and the troops of
Sun Chuan Fang, provincial COVER.
nor of the Shanghai area and ally of
Chang Tso-Iin, he forced to retreat
upon Shanghai itself. they probably
would not permit themselves to be
COVRSd up All the NiAN lloEtl, DuL MOllu
evacuate and fall back farther to the
northward to defensible positions in
which to make a stand, as Shanghai
itself would be difficult point to hold
in military sense.
Whether the Kellogg proposal in
cludes provisions for patrol of the in
ternational settlement boundary by for.
eign naval forces TO insure protection
of the settlement from rioting swarms
of Chinese refugees from the battle
zones and possible attempted looting
of troops of a defeated army has not
been revealed. All of these possihil.
tiles have figured in the apprehension
of the Washington Government over
the security of its nationals at Shang-
bai, however, and prompted the con,
centration of warships and Marines
either at Shanghai or at points from
which they could be called quickly to
the Shanghai area in an actual emer.
gency.
LONDON SEES LULL IN CHINA