Montana labor news., 1937-09-09
Japan Prepared Care
fully Tor Present Crisis

InOSe who have been concerned
over the conquest of Ethiopia by
Italy have had to wait until now to
discover, in the memoirs of General
Emile de Bono with an introduc-
ton by Mussolini), how carefully
Italy planned for several years for
the invasion of East Africa.
How Japan has planned for the
present crisis in China is revealed
in the report of a secret meeting of
the chiefs of the Bureau of Special
Service in the Japanese Army's
Club in Tientsin on May l. c. Y. w.
Meng, writing in The China Week
ly Review of June 19, tells the story
Of Japanese aspirations in North
China and gives an outline of the
plan for the current invasion.
The Japanese secret service had
been concentrated in Shansi, north
ern Chinese province next in line
for conquest by the logic of geo.
graphy. The plan was to move on
westward, into Shansi, from the "au-
tonomous'' government (Japan-con-
trolled) Of East Hopei. Besides its
strategic value to Japanese imper-
ialism, Shansi is enormously rich
in coal, having about half Of all
the Coal in China.
Col. Wachi, chief of the japanese
espionage system in China, told the
Tientsin meeting that anti-Japanese
sentiment was growing in Shansi,
and he persuaded chiefs of the Blu
reau Of Special Service to withdraw
its agents from the capital of Shan
81 in order to lead the Chinese to
believe that Japan would follow a
less aggressive policy. In the mean
time they would intensity activity
in provinces adjoining Shansi, such
as Chahar, Suiyuan, Hopei and Hon
an. More Shansi agents would be
employed. He recommended a sharp
ening of activity to instigate pro-Jap-
anese Chinese in different localities
to act. More small merchants, ma
tives of Shansi, who r scattered
about in North China should be
bought over, and after some preli-
minary training they would be quail
fled to do more complicated work.
These small merchants are by ma
ture honest and faithful fellows"
It was also decided to contact and
buy over more disappointed politi-
clans and militarists'' since it is ex-
pected they will have little national
feeling" 1t was declared at the
meeting: "In the past, the japanese
im|perialist m~ilitarists have always
employed them as the f%orerunners in
their aggression in China; and have
always utilized their past influence
to enlist the disbanded soldiers and
to obtain information"
1t was decided at the meeting that
more work should be done among the
monks, who under cover of preach
ing Buddhism a 60 into the inter
ior to get information and special
emphasis also was laid on winning
over political cliques, giving them
aid, and thus helping them to split
the Chinese people into factions.
Important detectives would be to
win or buy over corrupt m%ilitarists
and the local gentry, to play them
off against each other; Ito spread
terrible rumors; to propagate the
powerful fighting weapons of the
imperialists armies; to instigate the
local bandits to re-start their acti-
vities; to bomb and destroy the i'm
portant military bases, and to buy
over the laborers of the arsenal, cleo
tricity plants, water works, ETC."
In the meantime, the agents of the
Bureau would gather information
about and survey strategical places,
like arsenals, water works, %electri-
city plants, ammunition stores, mill
tia organizations, Chinese army sig
mails, mountains, hills, forestry, brid-
ges, rivers, etc. Reports should al
so be made to the Bureau headquart-
ers on anti-Japanese movements,
their publications and other activi-
ties.