Evening star., 1932-02-27
Toxic Statesman
Says Japan Courts
No War With Russia
BY GLENN BABB,

Associated FreSS StaH correspondent.
Copyright, 1882, by the Associated Press.l
TOXIC, February II F.-Japan is
not likely to court another interna-
tional crisis with Russia, government
spokesman were quick to point out to-
day in commenting on the queries of
the Russian government regarding mill
tary operations in Northern Manchuria.
The Russian queries, presented by
L. M Karakhan, acting Soviet COM
missar for foreign affairs, turned Gen.
Jiro lannon's Northern Manchuria
campaign into an international issue
and took official Toxic completely by
surprise, especially in view of the COM
plaisance Moscow heretofore has shown
toward Japan's operations in the Har-
bin district.
Spokesman for the war and foreign
ministries alike asserted today that
Russia's nervousness over Japan's in
tentions in North Manchuria were based
on distorted interpretations of the sit
uation and magnified a purely local
problem" to unwarranted dimensions.
Statement Doubted.
The war Office said it lacked any i'll
formation to support M. Karakhan's
statement that Gen. Tamon ordered II
trains of SO cars each for an advance
on the town of Pogranichnaya and
there was no intention of an advance
to the Russian border
The mission of Gen. lannon's intend
ed expedition, the war Office said. was
merely to diSperse $4,000 followers of
Gen. Ting Chao who were reported op-
Grating in the. Imienpo district. Gen.
Tamon, it said, was fully empowered to
deal with details like train transport
without reporting to Toxic and hence
the war Office was ignorant of the exact
size Of his order
1t was confident, however, the spokes-
man said, that M. Karakhan's figures
we're exaggerated because Gen. Tamon
intended to use only part of the three
brigades now at Harbin in the Imienpo
campaign. The war Office was apprised,
he said, of considerable Russian troop
movements on the Ussuri and Amur
frontiers but these were merely an evi-
dence of Russian apprehenSions over
the Manchurian situation which japan
does not share.
He denied emphatically the Japanese
military authorities were conniving in
any way to encourage white" Russians
and he suggested reports of their ac-
tlv1tleS emanated from the whites"
themselves, perhaps to help raise funds.
The foreign Office declared it had no
knowledge of any intention to send
Gen. lannon's troops to the Russian
border and that the Chinese members
OF the Chinese Eastern Railway direc-
torate agreed to furnish trains for
necessary troop movements, but the
Russian members demurred
spokesman for the foreign Office
parlipr fndou ind fIaf
might be preparing to hold Russia re-
sponsible for damages suffered by Japa-
nese Nationals in Northern Manchuria
unless transportation of troops over the
Chinese Eastern Railway was permitted.
Firm on New Regime.
Regarding the Russian request for in
formation on the new Manchurian state,
the spokesman said Ambassador Hirota
accurately represented Tokio'S posi-
ton" in replying to M. Karakhan that
the latter's inquiries were addressed to
the wrong quarter, for the establish
ment of the new regime in Manchurta
was entirely matter for the people
there to advise upon.
The government is drafting a reply
to the Soviet government.
1t was intimated in official quarters
that full compliance with the SuggeS-
tions made by the ambassadors Of the
four great powers regarding protection
of the International Settlement at
Shanghai might not be possible by
Japan.
The army commanders might not be
able to give definite commitments, these
sources said, as to where reinforcement
troops would be disembarked in the fu-
ture. The four ambassadors, repre-
senting the United States, Great Brit
ain, Italy and France, asked the Japa-
nese government not to land additional
troops in the settlement