Evening star., 1937-08-26
FEAR OVER RUSSIA
:. PERVADES JAPAN
Active Soviet Participation
In "War" Is Doubted
by Observers.
BY FRANK H. HEDGES.

BY FRANK H. HEDGES.
TOXIC, August rs (NANA).-Re-
ports that Russian made military air
planes have been delivered, by way Of
Mongolia, to the Chinese central gov
eminent In the last week have served
10 confirm the japanese public's worst
fears
Serious as is the conflict between
Japan and China, the real shadow
looming over Japan and darkening
hearts and thoughts Is that of Russia
-Japans potential enemy for CEN
tury, its active one during various
periods
The japanese do not speak of Soviet
Russia as menace. The words
''comintern" or communism" are
preferred. When the theological pact
with Germany was announced on
November IS of last year, it WAS
directed at the Comintern, and not at
the U. S. S. r. Nevertheless, the whole
world knew it was the Moscow govern
rnent even more than the activities of
the Communist party which both Ber-
lin and Toxic feared, although Com
munist propaganda holds real dread
as we'll.
Russian Participation Doubted.
Neutral observers do not believe
Soviet Russia will officially participate
m the warfare between Japan and
China, but, rather, that Moscow will
conflne itself to such activities as it
has executed in the Spanish civil
war. The aid will be sub rosa. but it
will be substantial. For Russia to come
out into the open might well cause
repercussions in Europe which would
set the whole world af1ame.
The Toxic government also believes
this to be the most likely development,
but the Toxic war Office and the
japanese general staff cannot depend
upon this. Every military step must
be taken on the presumption that
not only Chinese but Russian armies
may be met on the field of battle. that
Russian airplanes may raid Japan
from their base at nearby Vladivostok,
that Russian troops may food into
Manchukuo from across the Amur
tween that infant empire and Outer
Mongolia, satrapy Of Moscow
Why should Japan dispatch thous-
ands more of its soldiers to Manchu-
kuo when they seem to be 50 much
more needed in North China and at
Shanghai? The answer is twofold:
Fear Of Russia and apprehension of a
rising of the Chinese population of
Manchukuo. More than IS per cent
OF Manchukuo's 3o000,0 900 citizens are
Chinese-b born
Not, it is believed, until early Win
ter has frozen the Amur and the Sun
gari Rivers and made them easily
crossable, until freezing weather has
! made the mud of Manchurian plains
INT for infantry movements, until the
extreme cold to which Russians are
accustomed and which breeds death
dealing pneumonia among Japanese
soldiers, would the Soviet Army strike
If it strikes at all. 1t is in part in
preparation for this eventuality that
japanese reinforcements are now be-
Ing rushed into Manchukuo.
japanese Concentration Less.
A much smaller concentration is
going on in the southern half of the
Island Of Saghalien, or Karafuto,
which Is under the sunrise flag Of
Japan. The northern half of that is
land, believed to be rich In oil. is under
Russian sovereignty, and Japan would
seize it at the very beginning of hos
tilities with Russia.
There is still another fear from
Soviet Russia. and it is the one which
Japan openly acknowledges-fear of
Communist propaganda.
japanese statesmen repeatedly assert
that it Is the Chinese Communists who
stimulate anti-Japanese sentiment in
China. While this is only in part true,
1t Is a fact that, to the average Jap
anese. any Chinese antagonistic toward
his country is looked upon as Com
munist. To the japanese a Chinese
Communist" means, reduced to sim
plest terms, Chinese opposed to Jap
anese policy in China.
80 long as We have positive support
IN the rear and need have no concern
about conditions at home, we are ready
to 60 to any lengths in the discharge of
osK duty" These are the words of
Lieut.. Gen. Kiyoshi Katsuki. COM
mander of Japanese troops in the field
In North China, spoken to correspond
ents in Tientsin. Gen. Katsuki ex-
planned that what he meant was the
adverse effect of Communist propa-
ganda within Japan itself.
(Copyright. 1887, by the North American
Newspaper Alliance, Inc)