Evening star., 1937-09-10

the Communist armies on the Upper
Yellow River. Russia would never
quite trust Chang Kai-shek SUM-
ciently to provide him with q COM,
plete air force, but the Chinese Com
munists are = different thing-they
have been tried by fire and their
leaders bred in Moscow. Among them
there are now in Russia a hundred
Russian trained Chinese aviators.
With 200 planes and the fiat desert
OF the Ordos. where Kubla Khan is
buried, for = landing field, these men,
who, unlike Chang Kai-shek, have
nothing to lose either in property or
in diplomatic relations, could. if their
Russian mentors saw fit. carry short
Fighter destruction to Korea. Man
chukuo, Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe.
Bluecher Defies Moscow.
There Is another angle to Russias
position In the Chinese Japanese
war-an intensely human angle. It
revolves about Vassily Bluecher. He
made his last appearance in Moscow
standing beside Stain at the Red
Square review. Bluecher, military and
political head, rs well as popular hero
In Russia's Far East. WAS intensely
chagrined when Stain weakly gave
IN to japanese demands over the Amur
River sand bars early in July. Pre-
viously all border disputes with Japan
and Manchukuo had been In Blue
chers hands. Gossip is rife in Siberia
tnat Bluecher refused to send any of
his TOO planes back to Moscow when
Stain wanted them for Madrid and
when Voroshiloff, Stains pet COM
mander, pointed out that more of
them should be on the European front.
ready to meet Germany's invasion of
Cxechoslovakia. 1t is also told that
Bmecher has declhed-on the ground.
fine Pacific crisis-to make further
visits TO Moscow.
Some OF Japan's militarists have
been counting on this Bluecher-S Stain
schism. And it is partly because of
1t that they have discounted Russia
as factor. But strange things NAV
develop. Suppose the break becomes
open. The Bluecher, with 100000
soldiers-one third of the total present
population of trans -Baikal Russia-is
forced either to sell out 10 Japan to
get supplies, or TO invade and conouer
Manchukuo for its grain and iron
The easy thing would be alliance with
Japan. Through Japan he could get
everything he needs with the gold
from his river sands. But Bluecher
hates the japanese and likes the
Chinese, whom he helped to train.
Stain Relies on Mongol
Stain relies upon the loyal Soviet
power in Mongolia to checkmat<
Bluecher, and Bluecher could not af-
ford TO appear to fail Mongolia in
resisting imperialism. The other
day, however, the premier OF Mongolia.
returning in his felts and boots from
visit TO Stain, was poisoned on q
train in Siberia. Ptomaine from
fish was the report, but the G p. U.
is working on it.
There will be surprises in this war,
and Bluecher may afford the biggest
Whatever comes, Japan is now stalk
ing all on the collapse of Chinese
resistance when the Shanghai area
shall fall II the Chinese retreat into
their vast interior and continue to
resist, drawing Japan's forces after
them, Japan is lost-snd by the same
token, Russia is saved. Nothing can
encourage continued Chinese resistance
IN the interior SO much as Russian
sympathy and AID. II Russia does not
succeed in encouraging that resistance
she is lost-pinched between Japan
and Germany
The treaty does not mean that Rus
STA Will go TO war with Japan on
China's behalf any more than the
Soviet has been willing to 20 to war
with Germany and Italy on behalf of
the Spanish Loyalists But it does
mean that Moscow will extend every
Aid and encouragement to Chinese
resistance short of getting into war. In
\ sense Russia really owes China all
the encouragement possible, for had
Japan not found Russia soft when she
poked her mailed first into the Soviet
umolllcus early last July. Japan would
not now be invading China.
Russia Can Ply in Aid.
The japanese sacrif1ced / 500 men
TO capture the railroad reaching out
nearest to Russian supplies. 1t is not
likely that the japanese Navy will
permit ships from Vladivostok to put
into Chinese ports--whatever be the
legality Of the blockade. But It is only
1900 miles BY air from Russian-con-