Evening star., 1933-01-17
LEAGUE MAY FORCE
QUICK TOXIC ACTION
Japan Faces Cancellation at
Once or Dismissal at
Geneva.
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.

BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.
The League Of Nations, encouraged
by the reassertion of the American
policy OF non-recognition Of territorie!
acquired by armed force, has decided
to make 8 short cut to the interminable
Manchurian negotiations and adopt The
Lytton report, in case Japan cannot
present within the next 48 hours ar
equally acceptable solution to the Fal
Eastern problem.
This was the news received today
from Geneva where the Committee 0!
Nineteen began this morning discus
sion of the Sino-Japanese controversy
The adoption of the Lytton report
which Is forecast by diplomatic observers
present at Geneva has two principal
points which are not palatable to ia
pan. First, the report finds that ia
pans action since September 49, 1881,
brand her as an aggressor, and second,
that the new State of Manchukuo is a
puppet state, set up by the japanese
military, and does not actually repre-
sent the desire of It's inhabitants.
Japan May Withdraw.
The adoption of the Lytton report by
the Committee of Nineteen will be of
utmost Importance. If Japan refuses
to accept the decision of the League,
the Council will have to apply article
Is of the covenant, which provides for
sanctions against the recalcitrant ma
ton.
There is little likelihood that strong
actions will be taken by the League.
According to the observers at Geneva,
it is possible that the japanese may act
to forestall the League, which is said
to desire to expell Japan from its men,
bership and will withdraw from that
organization shortly.
Such a withdrawal will bring about
complications, the most important OF
all being the cancellation of the man
date given Japan over the Pacific group
of islands, at the end of the World War.
These groups include the Marshall, the
Marianne and the Caroline archi-
pelagos.
There is of course still hope that
the japanese might become more con-
ciliatory when they realize that public
opinion the world over is against them
and that even those nations which here
tofore have been following a policy
sympathetic toward Japan are now
changing and adopting a hostile atti-
tude.
RooseveIt's Attitude.
The major parties and especially
Great Britain and France CItaly has al
ways been in sympathy with the Ameri-
can point of view) have been greatly
encouraged in hearing that President
elect Roosevelt is in full agreement with
the policies of the Hoover administra-
ton in regard to the Far East.
Secretary Stimson visited Gov. Roose-
velt in New York and discussed with
him the Far Eastern question. Soon
after this conversation the japanese at
tackled and occupied ShanhaikWan.
Secretary Stimson took advantage of
this new act of the Japanese and 1e-
iterated that the policy Of the United
States as contained in his note of jan
uary had not changed.
This statement, widely circulated
abroad, led the foreign governments to
believe that Mr.. Roosevelt must have
given his complete approval to Mr.,
Stinnson's policies, otherwise the Secre-
tary of State would not have taken the
trouble to make such definite and
formal statement.
The American Ambassadors and Min
Ao0CAc abAOdo hClN AllodC w AANSAGbc1AA
the same thing, and they in turn In
formed the foreign governments that
the Roosevelt administration will fol-
low the same policy in regard to Man
churia, while from private quarters the
foreign governments were told that Mr.
Roosevelt may adopt even a sitter
policy than that of the Hoover admin
istration In the Far East.
Simon Changes Stand.
All these reports encouraged the for
eign governments, especially France and
Great Britain, which had already begun
to lose patience with Japan after the
latest activities of the Japanese army in
China.
The British government always has
been divided in regard to the Far East
ern policy. Ramsay Macdonald and
Baldwin were in favor Of supporting the
United States, but met with very stiff
opposition from the secretary of state,
Sir John Simon.
The recent developments In the Far
East however changed the point of
view of Sir John The japanese began
invading territories where Great Brit
ain had important interests. The Brit
ish Ambassador at Toxic made friendly
representations warning the Japanese
government.
These representatives were answered
with the usual protestations of the
Japanese foreign Office that nothing was
further from the mind of the govern
ment than to advance in q territory
where Great Britain has such impor-
tant interests. But the British OBJ
servers on the spot reported that the
Japanese Army was determined to fol-
low without restraint whatever plans
the japanese general staff had decided
upon.
Sir John Simon, while still opposed
to a policy Of sanctions, decided that
the only policy which could be followed
by the League was to put the screw"
on Japan and terminate the long and
useless talks which have been going on
ct Geneva for more than year.
Accept or Become Outcast.
The French government has, since
the last election which brought the
Socialists into power, been favorable
toward strong policy toward Japan.
The present premier, NJ Paul-Bon-
cour, is a strong League of Nations man
and would do anything in his power
TO preserve the prestige and the po-
litical efficiency Of the League ma
chinery.
The smaller nations were from the
very beginning strongly in favor of a
policy of sanctions.
With this set-up, the Committee OF
Nineteen began its discussions today,
apparently determined to put an end
to the policy Of procrastinations which
has lasted now for over a year, and
take steps which will lead either to
Japan's acceptance of the worlds YER
dict presented to her by council of
Cancellation, or become, for while at
least, an outcast.