The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1935-06-14
Russia Dreams OF
Great Muscovite
Empire In Asia
Border Incident, Killing
One More indication of
Rivalry in East
BY MILES w. VAUGHN
Copyright 1885, United Press)


NEW YORK, June 14.-(UP).
vigorous protest to
Tokyo over the killing of Soviet
border guard by Japanese troops,
and Tokvo's equally vigorous re-
Spouse that the soldier was killed
because he had entered Manchu-
kuo territory being patrolled by
Japanese troops, emphasizes Rus
sia's active interest in the dis
turbed situation in the Far East.
If the Soviet should demand an
international investigation, by a
military commission of neutrals,
talk of an impending new Russo
Japanese war would be heard
again-as it was a year ago when
Japan was busy taking the Rus
sian-owned Chinese Eastern rail
way, in the name Of the indepen-
dent State of Manchukuo.
The fact the incident occurred
June 3 and was not made public
bv Moscow until last night is typi-
cal of Soviet diplomacy. Moscow
withheld the news until the mo-
ment when she thought its publ
cation - at time the Japanese
army was creatinr a buffer zone
between central China and Man.
chukuo by threat of military force
would cause Tokyo maximum
l.
The chances are, however. that
nothing will come of the mutual
protests and determinations other
than that they will add to the long
list of reasons why Russia and
Japan some day may go to war
again.
Reasons why Moscow resists in
every way she can, short of armed
force, the steady advance of Japa-
nese in northern Asia include:
l. Russia never has abandoned
the old Czarist dream of a great
Muscovite empire in Asia with
warm water ports and Russian in
fluence dominant in China. Japan
blocked Russian ambitions in the
Russo-Japanese war of 1905 ana
again by the creation of Manchu-
kuo, which gave her control OF the
strategically vital Chinese Eastern
railway, and served Russia's short
line of communications with the
Pacific ocean. She has blocked the
Russians again, now, by the crea-
ton of the buffer zone in North
China for control Of that zone
gives the Japanese army new
route in the Mongolias and Iufk-
estan, where Russian influence Is
dominant.
.. Much of the wealth of the
Russian nation comes from Cen
trail Asia and Moscow fears ia
pans next move will be to the
northwest of Peiping, bringing the
huge plains of Mongolia into the
sphere of Japanese control. from
Mongolia it would be but a step
into Turkestan which would mean
that the rich Central Asiatic trade
would resume it's old course 70,
ward Manchukuo, Peiping ana
Tientsin. rather than towards
Moscow.
3. Japanese domination of Man
chukuo, North China, and her
penetration into Mongolia and
Turkestan menaces Russia's con-
troll of her maritime provinces
the Hinterland behind Vladivostok
and Kamchatka, and the whole OF
the rich region north of the Amur
river. Loss of this region to Mos
cow would mean Russia's elimina-
ton as a power in the Pacific
ocean and the tremendous revenue
she now receives from the great
fishing grounds, mines, forests and
fields of this area.
To offset Japan, of course, MOS
cow seeks the support OF other
powers-Britain, France and the
United States. If there is to be a
great war again in northern Asia,
it we'll may start between Russia
and Japan, and like the great war
in Europe the leading powers. IN
Guiding the United States, would
find it hard not to be involved.
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