Evening star., 1939-01-15
France Fortifying
|ndo-China Amid
Far East's Tension
japanese Threats Force
BoIsterine Of Army
Navy, Air Force
By PIERRE VITOUX.

BY PIERRE VITOUX.
PARIS. Jan. IA (N.A.N.A).-|
France, faced with increasing ten
sion with Japan over conditions in
the Far East arising from the war
in China, is at present actively en-
gagged in strengthening the land, air
and sea defenses protecting Indo-
China.
A whole division of 10000 Anna
mite "Tirailleurs" is going to REIN
force the $4,000 colonials and 49,
600 "partisans"-natives equipped
with arms and paid when called to
serve in the ranks-that were all the
military force in 1ndo-China. Facil-
tiles for making, storing and dis
tributing ammunition are being Gre
ated. The French naval force in
1ndo- Chinese waters is going to be
increased by a submarine flotilla,
several light, fast cruisers and a few
airplane sQuadrons.
The Paris government is studying
plans for Transforming the great
Bay of Cam -Ranh, where the whole
Inflated Russian fleet of Admiral
Rodjestvensky took shelter before
sailing for its ultimate destruction
in the Straits of Tsushima in 1906,
into flrst-class base, with auxiliary
bases in the Bay of Along, facing
the Chinese island of Hainan, where
the Japanese have threatened to
land.
Delicate Situation in East.
These measures Of defense are
considered by French official circles
q logical consequence Of the delicate
situation facing France In the Far
East, which started recently with
the voyage home of the Japanese
Ambassador to Paris. Yotaro Sug-
tmura.
Mr.. Sugimura, who had held the
post of Ambassador for 10 months,
went home, officially, for reasons OF
health" At first his trip seemed
natural, but, when time passed and
the Toxic government failed either
to send him back or appoint sue
cessor, Paris had to open its eyes to
reality. The reality is that the war
in the Far East has created a con-
fict of interests between France and
Japan.
Mr.. Sugimura was held to be
averse to the transformation OF the
so-called "anti-comintern" pact be-
tween Berlin and Toxic into mill
tary alliance binding Germany and
Japan. AS a corollary, he opposed
the extension of the Chinese mill
tary operations to the southern part
of China, foreseeing that such step
was bound to result in conflict
with Britain and France.
The Toxic government having
taken advantage of the European
crisis of September, 1888, to launch
It's offensive against Canton and
Hankow, Mr.. Sugimura found him.
self directly in opposition to his SUI
periors at home. and chose to request
a furlough. His departure served
to bring into relief the incertitudes
of the future situation in the Far
East.
Threat of Bombardment.
The fall Of Canton and the cap
ture by the Nipponese of the Can
ton-Hankow Railroad has suddenly
thrown the Hanoi Rail-
road into the limelight. Japan had
already. year ago, called Frances
attention to the need Of stopping
the arms trafnc through Tongking,
the northernmost part Of French
1ndo- China, where the city of Hanoi
Is located. Viscount Ishii, Japanese
Ambassador Extraordinary in Eu-
rope, declared, when passing through
Paris in February, 1888 that France
has been informed that If the arms
traffic through Indo-China con-
tinues Japan may find itself COM
PEELED to lombard the French rail-
road lines from Hanoi to Manning
and to Yunnan"
This overt threat was considered
totally unjustified by French off,
cial circles because France had,
since the beginning of the current
hostilities in July, 1887, kept a
strictly neutral attitude. The
French authorities had authorized
the passage through its colonial ter
ritory only of those arms contracted
for before the Lukutchow incident,
which amounted in fact to a few
bombing planes of obsolete design.
Japanese diplomats had declared
themselves perfectly satisfied with
the French explanations. Then, un-
expectedly. Nipponese army and
navy officers reopened, on october
Is, 1898. this question, which was
supposed to have been closed.
Single Rail Outlet.
This diplomatic offensive COIN
cided with the fall of Hankow and
the transfer of the Chinese cap
ital from Chungking to Szechwan.
The French railroad from Hanoi in
Tongking, Indo-China, to Yunnan.
Southern China, happens to be at
present the only means of rail COM
munication linking the Chinese Ma
tionalist government with the out
side world, besides being the short
est. (There are roads from Burma,
india, to Yunnan and others going
through Outer Mongolia, Sinkiang,
Shensi and Shansi, but these are
considerably longer)
1t is rumored that arms are
passing in large quantities through
the last-named routes and especially
through Burma. But, of course, the
French government has no control
at all over them. The Paris authori-
ties declared that the alleged arms
traffic through Tongking exists only
In the imagination of the Japanese
military, who to date have not been
able to advance any proof of their
contentious.
However, France is not satisfied
with resting on this innocence. 1t
Is clearly seen that, if the Japa-
nese decide to occupy the Island of
Hainan, they would be in a posi-