Evening star., 1932-02-14
Back of the Shanghai Crisis
Continued From First Page.)

Continued From First Page.)
this time-one must first restate, in a
synthetic formula, the course OF the
Manchurian tragi-comedy. The chron-
icle deals with the recent past. Man
churia has been virtually swallowed up
by Japan as a result of a skillful cam
paign, half diplomatic. half military,
lasting only few weeks. And Man.
churia is one of the richest countries OF
Asia her size covers more than the
British Isles and Italy put together.
great success, then, for the imperialistic
parties in Japan. And this success is
increased by the fact that, first, the
European great powers, timidly, and
after them the League of Nations,
seemingly more vigorously, at least at
the beginning tried in vain to stop
Japan's progress in Manchuria.
Aided by Long Anarchy.
Thanks to the general anarchy pre-
vailing in China since 1911. and thanks
to the lack of any moral and political
force in the central Chinese Govern
ment in Marking, and-last but not
least-thanks to the ccmplacency shown
ny lIlC GuIOpcdll dOOuC IlAC
doings of the japanese armies. the Nip
pom action in Manchuria has ended in
complete success for the Toxic di-
plomacy.
If one looks only at the technicaltieS
Of diplomacy one cannot help but ad-
nllre Japan's Manchurian achievement.
1t has been almost perfection: Japanese
cabinet ministers in Toxic and imperial
ambassadors abroad declared continu-
ally that Japan did not want Man.
churla; no. not even as a gift would
they accept what under the Manchu
dynasty was called the Three Oriental
Provinces. 1t would be too costly for
the resources of Japan-the worthy
ambassadors went on explaining to the
various foreign offices-to have to gar
rison and defend such a wide territory;
Jepan's intention was only to protect
tho treaty rights: and are not treaty
rights a sacred thing? And SO on.
Meanwhile, under cover of these
phrases. japanese military occupation
spread from day to day, until it reached
the very southernmost limits of Man
Churia-the Great Wall.
AT one time the spell seemed broken
BY the blunt intervention OF the United
States. which-while France. Great
Britain and Italy were, for various rea
sons, keeping silent-dared to call ia
pan to account and ask her to respect
more seriously the various pledges she
was at the moment engaged in vio-
lating.
But as could easily have been fore
seen. Japanese diplomacy. strong AS
result of the fait accompli. was not
found wanting in arguments to answer
even Mr.. Stimsons strong notes. The
respect due to the nine-power treaty?
nf h,lt .thn nrpSent
unsettled state of China was not con-
templated by the high contracting par
ties" the treaty remains Just as bind
ing but it must necessarily be applied
with reference to the existing facts"
Holds L. S. Action Tardy.
In short. aside from the sudden, but,
I am afraid. tarC.-- interventions of the
United States, everything in the world
co~spired to establish the success of
Japan in Manchuria. The League of
Nations did everything in its power to
help Japan break the covenant de-
Gently; and, strange to say. the British
national" government did everything
In its power to help Japan break the
nine-power treaty. For some time it
refused even to follow Americas diplo-
matte action: a novel case in the policy
which Britain has made her own for
years, fact probably to be explained
by the slight resentment existing in
England as a result Of recent discus
sions about reparations and war debts.
AS if resentment were admissible in
foreign policy, 1 do not say among
peoples. where it is reality but among
cabinets
OF all these successes. in Paris. in
Geneva. everywhere. Mr.. Yoshizawa.
the present Japanese minister of
foreign affairs. has been an almost con-
tnuous eyewitness. since he was. until
a few weeks ago, the japanese Ambas-
sadOr in Paris. He must have gone
back to Japan With one fixed idea in
his mind. namely: that the League OF
Nations was an institution devoid of
the least shadow of real power, and
that the great powers of Europe were
too taken up with their difficulties and
their present fears to be able to pay
any attention to what was happening
In Eastern Asia
Furthermore being himself the man
selected by that military and naval
caste which. at the present time, holds
all the real power in Japan, it is al
too natural that he should have be-
lieved his country entitled to do any
thing it pleased-hence the Shanghai
mistakes after the Manchurian success
Toxic has evidently forgotten that
the whole world could not help but
recognize the almost exclusive magni-
tude Of the japanese interest in Man.
Churia; and that the whole world. and
the Chinese themselves. felt almost in