Evening star., 1932-01-31
CHINA CONTROL
HELD jAPAN'S AIM
Divided Authority With "AI-
lies" Believed Object of
Drive to End Marking Rule.
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.

Inc favorable sigh Is that the League
of Nations seems determined to act
promptly and with more determination
than heretofore
One the ther hand, two Japanese air
plane carriers are expected in shang-
hal today; one ship is carrying 72 air
planes and the other "a.
The Chinese have not been idle
either. Gen. Chang Kai-Shek is re-
ported to have dispatched to Shanghai
his famous iron brigade" to reinforce
/ the 9th route army" which Is night
ing the japanese and has suffered
heavy losses. That brigade is the
model army of China and has gone
through intensive training, otf1cered
and instructed by Germans.
Japanese Mark Time.
The Japanese were driven back to
| their previous positions Friday night,
and on account of their numerical
weakness, have been forced to marx
time.
In the meantime Japanese military
| authorities do not appear willing 10
recede from their initial arbitrary at
! titude.
| They seem to wish to ignore the in
| ternational treaties which subject the
| city of Shanghai to a well defined in
/ ternational control, The japanese have
! established headquarters Of their land
| ing forces in that section Of the Inter
| national Settlement which Is assigned
to the control Of the Americans. The
American commander had repeatedly
| asked them to evacuate that sector.
! SO far he has received only polite an
sWers stating that the Japanese troops
will be withdrawn but nothing has
| happened and the japanese continue
| their patrol.
| On the other hand, the Japanese have
undertaken to patrol another section OF
| the International Settlement which is
! assigned to the local municipal force.
| The chairman of the municipal cOun-
| Gil has repeatedly asked the Japanese
| commander in chief to withdraw the
patrol but so far without avail
| This is the actual situation in Shang
! hal. The fighting has for the time
| being ceased, but the attitude Of the
! japanese military remains obdurate
| in spite of assurances given yesterday
| by Ambassador Debuchi to Secretary
of State Stimson that the japanese do
not intend to interfere with the rights
of the other nations in the Internatlon-
| al Settlement in Shanghai
Effect of Notes Awaited.
The effects of the British and the
! American notes on the japanese gov
ernment are awaited with impatienCe
| here and in London.
| Secretary StimSon gave the press yes
| terday very general resume Of the con-
| tents Of the note, and it is said in well
| informed quarters that the British and
American notes were couched In
| firm, strong language, There is no
! question Of leaving doubt in the minds
| of the japanese that beth governments
have decided to act with utmost deter
mination to safeguard their rights, re-
| gardless of what Japan thinks.
| 1t is hoped in diplomatic quarters
in Washington that the notes of the
| two English-Speaking powers will have
a Salutary effect and prevent the
| Japanese from going any further in
Shanghai, at least
japanese diplomats are clever and
| far seeing but it is stated in Well-in-
| formed quarters that they did not ex-
pect Great Britain and the United
States to reach a definite agreement
for common action in the Far East.
Toxic, it is reported, was fully con-
vinced that the commercial rivalry be-
tween the United States and Great
Britain in the Orient is sufficiently
powerful to prevent the two nations
from coming to an understanding
which may lead to serious compliCa-
tions with Japan and possibly some
other power,
Gratifed by Split"
When it was reported from London
last Wednesday that the British cabinet
was split over the question Of whether
F@l 4o+p
would cooperate, the report was re-
Ceiyed with satisfaction in Toxic and
was interpreted as further proof that
Japanese diplomats had read the S1tua-
ton in the West correctly.
In Washington it is considered posi- |
BILE that the Toxic government may still
be in the same frame of mind and con-
slider, on the basis of the pacific feeling
in Great Britain and the United States, |
that neither country means business,
and that after a last effort to bluff the
Japanese out of their present position,
nothing more will be said.
This alleged frame of mind of the
Japanese is further strengthened by the
fact that the japanese, knowing or the
drastic economies made in the last two
years in the American Navy, are con-
Vinced the United States Is not pre-
pared for any real emergency and that
the British would be most unwilling to
go to the end with nation which is
not prepared for war. On the other
hand, the British, under the Labor ad-
ministration, had practically suspended |
work at Singapore and consequently |
have practically no naval base in the
Far East for their capital ships. The |
only adequate naval base is at Saigon !
and that belongs to the French, OF !
whose neutrality, in case Of serious
trouble, the Japanese have been assured. !
This situation explains to many the I
present adamant and Il don't care what !
you do" policy of the Japanese govern |
ment.
Ready to Face Issue.
This policy may change, however,
when the japanese government finds !
that AngIo-American cooperation is no |
mere bluff, and that both countries |
while anxious for peace, are deter
mined to go far TO assure their vital |
interests in the Far East and the re-
spect of international treaties, without !
which there can never be peace in the |
world.
1t is said in usually well informed |
quarters that neither the United States !
nor Great Britain intends to be pro-
vocative But should events embroll |
them into a situation from which they |
cannot honorably retire they are both |
determined to face any issue.
The political situation has been so /
clouded in the last few days because |
nobody quite knows what the japanese
are after They could easily have
avoided the Shanghai trouble if they
had wanted only to break the boycott in
that important port. Chinese authori |
ties had accepted the japanese ulti-
matrm to suspend all anti-Japanese
activities and the innocent Japanese |
Consul General Mural went so far as
to declare himself satisfied with the |