Evening star., 1932-09-22
FAR EASTERN WAR
HELD INEVITABLE
Manchukuo Foreign Office
Aide Sees Japanese
Conflict Certain.
Special Dispat tch to The Star.


NA.).-George Bronson Rea, publisher
of the Far Eastern Review and legal
counselor to the minister OF foreign
affairs In Manchukuo, says war be-
tween Japan and Russia is inevitable
and may come sooner than is sup
posed.
Mr.. Rea, known as an authority on
international politics in the Far East,
was born In Brooklyn, studied en-
gineering, became a newspaper man
and was for two years with the Cuban
armies Of Gomez and Maceo. He was
in Havana when the Maine blew up
and acted as correspondent for New
York newspapers in the Spanish War
He-started his magazine in Manila, but
later transferred it to Shanghai, where
he has lived for more than 20 years
He is now in New York has been in
Washington and expects to go to
Geneva.
THE basis of my policy" says Mr.
Rea, always has been to keep peace
between the United States and Japan
and, while relations from the angle
of diplomacy sometimes have been
strained, I do not believe any differ
ences in point Of view ever will result
In war. Japan and the United States
are not natural enemies, but the Jap
anese, as a matter of basic security,
must protect themselves against Russia,
The Immediate justification for the
Japanese action in Manchuria was the
attempt of the Chinese to blow up the
South Manchurian Railway, but there
IS more to it than that.
japanese Must Have Outlet.
"While the fact that there were only
10000 Japanese soldiers acting as rail-
way guards in Manchuria," continued
Mr.. Rea. 'as opposed to 250,000 Chinese
veterans, controlled by Chang Hseuh
LANG, makes the idea OF deliberate in
vasion for territory untenable. Never
theless, the japanese are increasing at
the rate of a million year and must
have some outlet. Their natural out
let is Asia.
Moreover. Japan wants buffer state
between itself and Russia and is there
fore organizing Manchukuo. To that
end it is using the Manchus them
selves"
Japan, says Mr.. Rea, Is not blind to
the fact that Russia is building steel
mills, railroads and opening mines in
Siberia. He states that one 1850 600
ton mil! is being constructed by Chi
cago concern at KutnetZ, in the Atlai
Mountains, in the strategic center OF
Central Asia. Another 2,500.0 .000-ton
mill is being built by Cleveland con-
Germ in the Ural Mountains, is Asiatic
Russia. Japan, knowing that any steel
mill can be turned into a munitions
plant, Is reported to be apprehenSive
over these activities.
At the same time, the japanese real
lze Russia does not want war now, be-
cause 1t Is in the grip of the f1ve-year
plan and because it would be in the
position of having to fight at the end
OF long 1nehclently run railroad, not
completely double tracked. And it is
not sure how its Red army of nearly
million men would feel If ordered to
fight in war 1000 miles away, or what,
in such an event, would happen on its
western front.
This, Mr.. Rea concludes, Is why Rus
sia has made no stronger protest in
regard to Manchuria. Russia has q
Red army In the Far East, but this is
not believed to be force of more than
200,0 900 at the maximum. In Northern
Magnolia there is supposed to be
Mongolian army trained by Russia. in
the Mongol Soviet republic. of which
the capital IS Urga; but this territory
Is closed to foreigners and little news
can be gained from it. Japan feels
that in few years Russia will be in
Q very strong position and is disinclined
to wait passively for that time to arrive.
Wants Stable Government.
Japan" says Mr.. Rea, "has gone
into Manchuria to do what the United
States did in Cuba toward setting up
a stable government. 1t is not SO much
interested in local matters as in gen.
eral economic and political policies. The
best 1t can hope to do is to organize
and mold the Manchukuo government
along lines Of mutual defense.
There was justification for putting
Pu-Yi at the head of the government.
When that boy emperor who is a Man
chu, abdicated, he did so under an
agreement that he was to have his title.
his palace at Peking and large pension.
chased him out, and he took refuge in
the japanese legation. Then he fled
in disguise to Tientsin, where he lived
as an ordinary citizen. He had an
English tutor, is educated, and not as
weak as he Is reported to be. He has
been showing signs Of leadership"
Mr.. Rea said Manchuria used to be
Q prosperous country because Of the
SOC, ,000,00 to $100,000,000 the agricul-
tural people received from their bean
crops. Then along came Marshal
Chang Tso-Lin. He closed the market,
decreeing crops could be sold only to
his agents, who paid in paper money
the old general printed. He flooded
the country with $300O,000.OO0 worth
of this bad money and everybody went
broke. The japanese, who have ST.
00O, 900 900 invested in Manchuria,
have again established an open market.
When the japanese Army moved in.
September 18, 1881. the officials of