Evening star., 1939-06-25
Far Eastern Crisis Sets Stage
For New Difficulties in Europe
Hitler and Mussoni Likely to Take Full Advantaee
of Tension Created by "Blundering' of
British Diplomats in China
By Constantine Browu,

The Far Eastern tension Is only q
sideshow of the great drama which faces
the world at this time. 1t is important
In itself because 1t has brought to the
fore an 18-month-old dispute: Whether
or not the Western powers enjoying
special privileges in China should re-
linquish them in favor of the Japanese,
who want exclusive control over the
Asiatics. But it is more important
from the international angle because
1t occurs at time when German armies
are concentrating rapidly on the Polish
and the Rumanian borders, and large
bodies of men and huge quantities Of
supplies are being rushed to the Sieg-
fried line
The new crisis was not engineered in
Berlin or in Rome. Nevertheless, there
is no doubt in the minds of the foreign
ofi1ces in Paris and in London and in
the State Department in Washington
that both Hitler and Mussolini have
taken advantage of the British blunder
In Tientsin and have urged the Jap
anese military to put all possible pres
sure on the two Western powers.
British diplomacy blundered again
because its men on the spot-in China
have not accustomed themselves to the
idea that Great Britain is no longer
the great power it used to be; it is no
longer sufficient in the Far East for
her representatives to say, as in the
past: This matter must be settled in
such and such manner" to make
everybody accept Britains verdict.
-Four Chinese were suspected by the
Japanese of having murdered one of
Japan's Chinese dummies. It was q
trivial. everyday occurrence. Instead
OF allowing the Japanese to handle the
situation in the usual manner-kiIl of
> few guilty or innocent Chinese for
the sake of showing that Japan cannot
be trif1ed with-the British took ad-
vantage of technicality and sheltered
the suspects.
Japan Sees Its Chance.
The general staff in Toxic, which for
the last 18 months has been hankering
to abolish the extraterritorial privileges
Of the French, British and Americans
who live in the so-called treaty ports,
saw their chance. They took full ad-
vantage of it. Within a few days that
trivial incident became an international
issue which concerns all the nations
having special privileges in China.
The whole matter was placed on
basis which the British did not expect;
the Japanese admit that the incident
in itself is Of no consequence-but the
principles involved must have an imme-
diate solution. The principles in
volved" are hands off China for the
Western nations and surrender of juris-
diction over the international settle
ments to the authorities in power; that
is to say, the Japanese Army.
Despite threats by the British govern
ment of drastic action, Toxic does not
believe that either Great Britain or
France can do anything more than pro-
test. The British and the French forces
in the Far East are merely police forces
to protect the respective nationals
from acts of brigandage on the part Of
the Chinese; the naval forces of those
two nations are stronger than the land
forces when it comes to facing show
down with Japan. They consist of
few cruisers and number of submarines
and destroyers, mostly of wartime vim
tage, incapable of Offering any positive
resistance to the modern Japanese
Navy, which would like to show it's
prowess against the small forces of the
big Western nations.
The British government knows that
1t has powerful weapon against Japan
It can retaliate to the blockade of
Tientsin and other concessions by pre-
venting Japanese merchantmen from
entering its ports in the British pos
sessions in Asia. Japanese trade with
the Malay people in the Straits Settle
ment and with the Indians forms one
of the important factors in Japan's
economic life.
British Think Twice.
But there is no doubt that the British
will think the matter over seriously
before they decide to take the plunge.
The Japanese, like their European asso-
ciates, are in no mood to brook any
interference with their activities wher-
ever they feel strongest. An embargo
on japanese ships entering British ports
in Asia will bring, without delay, a
catastrophe result. The japanese know
their strengthen they know the French
and British weakness-and according to
reports from Toxic they would not hesi-
tate to blast their way" into any port
which the French or the British may
choose to close to legitimate Japanese
business. In an argument between the
British ambassador at Toxic and the
Japanese undersecretary of state, the
latter is reported to have said bluntly
that, while the British rights" in China
were obtained by force from a weak
and venal Chinese government, the
right Of the Japanese to enter ports OF
Q nation with which they are at peace
Is undeniable from the point of view of
international law. Any closing of such
ports to Japanese trade will have to be
considered an overt act of hostility and
Britain will have to assume all respon-
sibility for what may follow. The Brit
1sh, with the bulk of their fleet in the
Atlantic and the Mediterranean, UNDER
stood the Japanese logic, and the en-
thusiasm of those members of the cab
met who favored drastic economic re-
taliation was somewhat dampened.
The British remembered last week
that there was strong and efficient