Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-26
u. S. PLAYS MAJOR
ROLE IN FAR EAST
Kept League Calm While
Winning Asiatic Nations
to Arbitration.
Continued From First Page.)


up against the powerful medieval
minded military caste which is q strong
believer in the slogan might is right.
1t took q good deal Of patience and
at times straight talking" to induce
the Japanese military to give in. They
have mentalities which do not quite Al
in with the New World policies Of set
ting everything by arbitration, but they
are intelligent, and when it was brought
home to them that in spite of the re-
luctance Of the American people to en-
force boycott they might be driven
into such an action. the Japanese gen.
| eral staff, Toxic reports say, decided tc
| yield. How sincere their yielding is re-
mains to be seen. The League of Ma
tons resolution and the venality OF some
of the Chinese generals may give them
a chance to change their attitude again
| However, for the time being they have
| yielded, and Japan has accepted the
principle Of arbitration. even when it /:
applied to her other Oriental neighbor
| China.
Start OF on Wrong Foot.
Our dealings with the League OF
Nations Council were equally dificult
The League started by making q mis-
! take. 1t was impulSive when 1t ordered
the japanese out of Manchuria by No
vember l6. The result of the ultima
tum surprised nobody in Washington
The japanese told the League in dip
lcmattc language to go to the devil >
The Council of the League got an
noyed and Immediately began discuss
| ing "forceful methods" and block
AIDES" We were as much interested in
| the peaceful settlement of the Sino-
japanese dispute as the League
The Japanese disregard of interna.
| tional treaties such as the Kellogg pact
and the nine-power pact affected u.
just as much as 1t affected the mem.
bers Of the League, but the Govern.
ment OF this country did not see any
reason why forceful methods should bt
applied before all the other method.
were exhausted 1t would have beer
| extremely difficult. If not impossible, t.
| convince Congress of the necessity o.
| applying an embargo on Japan if the
country could not be convinced there
was vital reason for doing So
We had to preach patience to thu
| impatient League. The European pres
accused the Government of this coun.
| try OF COW - and of putting ma
| terial interests ahead of the moral is.
sues which were involved in the Japa.
nese-League of Nations controversy. /
accused the Government of this coun.
try OF playing into Japan's hands.
Toxic reports indicate the State De.
| partment has been sending in the last
! 10 days some strong notes.
Plain Talk in Notes.
According to these reports, the note.
contained some pretty straight talking
1t appears that we pointed out to Japar
| that the assumed lack of interest of the
American people in the Manchurian dis.
pute was illusory and that at any time
| there may be tremendous reaction
against japan in this country. Am.
baSsador Debuchi, who knows Americs
well, is said to have reported to hi,
government the same thing.
The League Council did not see OIL
point Of view at first and wanted K
rush us into action. We were com
| PEELED to give them a fair warning b,
| indicating that in spite of our col.
liberation with the League we would
maintain an absolute freedom OF actor
should the League desire to apply sane
tionS. The Council of the Leagu,
realized that boycott applied by Eu
rope alone would have no effect or
|
diplomatic action.
The State Department gave a sigh
OF relief when Ambassador Dawes re-
ported the Japanese and Chinese wer,
willing to accept the Leagues resolu
ton. The situation seems improved
although it is by no means certain tina
peace In the Far East has been assured
Too Many LoophoIes.
There are two weak points in tn,
situation. One is that there are tot
many loopholeS in the Leagues reso.
luton. The general idea is that Japar
cannot negotiate with China Will,
| japanese troops are maintained ir
Chinese territory. The japanese art
reported to have agreed to withdraw
their battalions into the railway zone
There is no time limit to this with.
drawal, but it is understood it will be.
gin as soon as possible. 1t has beer
admitted, however, that In place.
where there is lot of banditry and tht
Chinese authorities cannot guarantee
the life and property of Japanese citi
zens the Japanese should be allowed
I: to maintain their troops, as militar!
| police, until Chinese police force car
be organized.
1t happens, however, that the entire
Manchurian territory where fighting
has taken place in the last few week
is in a chaotic state.
On arriving in towns the first dut!
of japanese troops was to disbant
native Chinese police. Consequently
may be that the Japanse will find 1
necessary to maintain, under the nam
| OF police, an army of occupation II
/ Manchuria. This force may remain
| there for month or even years before
the Chinese authorities are in position
to guarantee the safety of the japanese
citizens.
The other difficulty is that TIT
League has requested the japanese anc
| the Chinese governments to order theil
ommanders-in-chief to refrain from
any hostile act during the pending
negotiations.
Strange Case Of Gen. Nah.
The strange case Of Gen. Nah L
vivid in the minds of most diplomats
| This Chinese general commanding the
! troops massed at Tsitsihar is reported
| to have been appointed last Monday by
| the Japanese government as governor
of the province.
According to diplomatic sources, which
! know the inside story Of the TSitSihal
affair, it appears that Gen. Nah hac
agreed to blow up the bridges across
the Nonni River so as to give the
japanese a pretext to push north. He
made a pretenSe Of resistance when the
japanese ordered him out of Tsitsihar
fought a losing battle and then, un-
eXpectedly, Is reported to have beer
appointed by the japanese governor Of
the district whence he had been routed