Evening star., 1936-12-27
Opera Boufe.

Ways and means of Oriental statecraft
pass the feeble comprehension Of the
West. In the case of the capture OF Gen.
eralissimo Chang Kai-shek by Marshal
Chang Hsueh-liang and the formers
liberation after a fortnight's imprison-
ment, it is especially difacult to fathom
the true inwardness of an episode that
has all the ingredients of opera bouf1e
Until the truth is available and the con-
sequences destined to flow from the Incl
dent are more clearly visible, nobody but
Gilbert and Sullivan could possibly do
Justice to as weird an affair as ever took
its place even in the tortuous history OF
Chinese political puzzles.
Chang Kai-shek is back at Nanking,
having been accompanied to the capital
by his late captor, "the young marshal"
In the guise of a rebel ready to face the
music" for the uprising of December IL
and the subsequent kidnapping of the
government chief. The generalissimo's
release was obtained, under circum-
stances still highly mysterious. through
neeotiation with Chang by Chang Kali
sheks American educated wife, her
brother, T. v. Soong, governor of the
Bank of China, and William H. Donald,
Chiang's Australian adviser. A settle
nent was arranged which seems to have
suited all parties. 1t ensued after ex-
plantations that Chang acted against the
head of the state through 'misunder-
etanding" on two scores-O that the
government intended to punish the
marshal for ineffective military activity
asainst the Communists, and CD be-
cause Nanking had stopped paying
Chang and his troops their wages. When
It developed that there was no plan to
discipline Chang and that his pay roll
funds had been misappropriated by a
subordinate the marshal agreed not only
to set Chang free, but to accompany him
70 Marking as an act of penance.
What will now happen is something
no Occidental. and probably no Chinese.
ports that Chang was bought of with q
suficiently fat ransom to permit him
TO live in luxurious exile, and that thus
his face" will be saved. OF more i'm
portance than any fate in store for the
former Manchurian war lord is the ques-
ton of Chinas relations with Japan, as
they may be affected by the Chang
Chang maneuver and its amazing after
math. Japan and Russia at first accused
each other of instigating the kidnapping
of the generalissimo. But there is no
reliable evidence tc support either accu-
sation.
The japanese apparently made no
effort to capitalize the crisis which Nam
king faced during Chiang's incarcera-
ton. As to the future, much depends
upon whether Nanking traded to Chang,
as the price of Chiang's restoration, q
pledge to maintain sitter attitude to-
ward Japanese pretensions in China, pos
sibly to the point Of declaration Of war.
Relations with the Soviet would be in
fiuenced by any concessions extorted
from Nanking in favor of Chinese Com
munists. Japan's hands-of policy may
be due in part to the bitter criticism to
which the Hirota governments foreign
policy is being subjected in the new Diet
at Toxic. It Is, Of course, premature TO
conclude that Markings troubles with
other ambitious war lords like Marshal
Chang are at an end and that the la
borious process Of "unifying" China will
now take a normal course