The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1932-03-29
BY AGNES SMEDLEY
From the New York ''NatiOn".)


heels OF the Japanese occupation OF Manchu-
ria and many OF them involving deaths Of both
chinese and Japanese. 1t can be quite certainly
stated that japanese agents prOyOcateursy as
advance agents Of the Japanese rnihtarlsJs, IN
stigated many Of these incidents, which finally
eliminated in the expected Japanese ultimatum
to the Chinese authorities on January 20. The
mayor of Chinese administered Shanghai, car
rying out the Marking policy OF non-action ana
dependence on the League Of Nations accepted
the terms of this huminating ultimatun on the
afternoon OF January %, and Immediately be-
gan the suppression of every kind OF anti-Japan-
csc activity among the Chinese population.
British and American imperialist interests had
also been advocating the suppression OF the boy
colt as unlawful fearing Of course, that u
would some day be turned against themselves
Shortly after the acceptance Of the japanese
ultimatum by the Chinese authorities the Shang-
hal Municipal Council the administrative body
of the foreign settlements, declared the exist
encs Of state of emergency. Most OF the
foyeizrers knew that the japanese, now heavily
reinforced in Shanghai by marines, cruisers, &C.
stroyers and over 100 air bombers, were going
to take military action, and the state OF emer-
gencv" practically meant that while the Japan
csc attacked the Chinese at the front, the other
foreigners guarded their rear against the united
action of the Chinese population. At II o'clock
on the night Of the 18th the Japanese admiral
delivered an ultimatum to the Chinese military
defenders Of Shanghai ordering them TO with
draw from their defense positions; ana before
the Chinese had time even to read the docu-
ment-that is, just Chirty-fiye minutes later
the Japanese invasion began. That section Of
the International Settlement to which the Jap
anese had been assigned by the Shanghai De-
tense Forces as guard now became the base Of
the war operations undertaken by the japanese
against the Chinese.
The Japanese attempted to take possession OF
the Chinese city Of Chapel, using every known
method of warfare to obtain their end. They
bombed and bombarded the North Station Of
the Shanghai-Nanking Railway; they bombed
and burned to the ground the Commercial
Press, the greatest Chinese publishing house and
the greatest publishing house in the world; they
also bombed and burned to ashes the famous
Oriental library attached to the Press in which
there were some million volumes and ancient
manuscripts, many Of which can never be re-
placed In the first encounters the invaders
were driven back into the International Settle
nent, where the Chinese could not follow be-
cause this territory is supposed to be neutral
"a neutrality which has now been exposed as
nothing but a matter Of force. Had the Chinese
army followed up its victory and occupied that
part of the Settlement as Ehey now had the
legal right to do, they could have driven the
japanese from the city, and thus saved the
lives Of thousands Of their people as well as the
whole city OF Chapel. But the commanders OF
the Chinese defense force, that is the 18th
Route Army, are not revolutonarieS, and like
many others Of their class they either fear for
eigners too much or, in common with many
other rich Chinese, do not really wish to see
Shanghai brought under Chinese sovereignty
They even gave out a statement that they could
have taken the settlement, but did not care
to violate its neutrality or do injury to foreign
lives and property. The result was that the jap
anese consolidated their position, brought more
men-of-war, more air bombers, and more ma
rines and troops into Shanghai moved them
right through the international Settlement, and
began reign of terror and atrocity.
During the early part Of the struggle for
eign neWspapermen and other civilians could
go right down into the war zone, watch the
street fighting and take pictures What they saw
was blazed across the pages Of the foreign and
Chinese press each day. Here we beheld Japan
ese marines, accompanied by lawleSs bands Of
Japanese civilians called "Ronins" the latter
armed with guns, swords, knives, bayonets, or
baseball bats, attacking the Chinese civilian
population The "Ronins" operating in gangs
would capture Chinese civilians, often tie them
hand and foot, and then stab or beat them 10
death. An American consular official watched
a Japanese marine catch a poor coolie and bay
onet him, and every time the body showed signs
Of life, drive the bayoneC through it from new
angle
During the first five days of the fighting
around Chapel practically no prisoners were
taken aliYe-they were shot, beaten, or stabbed
to death. Since the Chinese defenders were a
part Of the 18th Route Army, a Cantonese army,
no Cantonese civilian prisoner was left alive.
The Japanese seem to have carried out a con-
sistent policy of killing every intellectual they
found. Despite the confusion have learned
that at least two of my own personal friends
we're murdered by the Japanese, one a writer
recently returned from America who was doing
absolutely nothing against the japanese but who
happened to be an intellectual and Canton
sse, and the other friend who was beaten to
ieath with an iron bar because q book by Bog
danov on proletarian literature was found in his
room Another acquaintance was condemned
to death but was saved by Japanese friend,
the charge against him being that he was
Communist; the evidence" against him was
tag bearing number in the lining OF his hsG.
This was g tag Of the dry-cleaners, but the
Japanese said it YVES secret Communist num-
bert
A German business man named Hans Krenn,
trapped with his family for days in the war
zone finally escaped and told what he had
seen He had seen Japanese creep up to houses,
set them on fire, and then when the families
hiding inside were driven out by the flames
shoot them dead In their tracks-men women
ox.5 cJ,{Ijroy, Tho IaDaneSp SeIdor1 feel BALLAD