Evening star., 1939-08-06
BY Cresf0n B. Mullins.

elieUe is dress reh earsal for a major
extension of this domain, the Maritime
Province, with heavily militarized Vladi-
vostok at its tip is constant menace to
Japan's security.
Vladivostok, the eastern terminus of
the TransSiberian Railway, is within
750 miles Of Japan's four principal cities
Toxic, Yokohama, Osaka and Naga-
saki. What Russian planes could do to
them has been demonstrated to the
Japanese by their own bombing of
| Chinese cities-Canton, Marking, Han
koW, Shanghai.
Railway First Objective.
| The strategy of Japans gestures in
the direction of Outer Mongolia is to
be able to strike quickly and effectively
at the Trans-Siberian Railway once war
comes with Russia. If Japan can estab-
lish herself opposite Lake Baikal, where
the Trans-Siberian runs through a mar
row corridor between the lake and the
Mongolian border, her army could make
short work of the railway, which is vital
not only to Vladivostok and any Rus
sian military operations carried on from
| there, but to all Eastern Siberia as we'll.
| Once the Trans-Siberian is held by
| her troops Japan will have a strangle
| hold on all of Eastern Siberia, with its
| principal cities of Nerchinsk, Blagovesh-
chensk. Khabarovsk and Vladivostok, as
vel! as Russias portion of Sakhalin
Island, over which new Ruso-Japanese
friction has recently risen.
The third motive is economic Outer
Mongolia possesses certain agricultural
and mineral resources which would be
valuable to Japan. The Mongolian
plateau is unsuited to farming, fact
which has kept the Chinese farmers
south of the Cobb Desert, but it does
possess good pasture, and grazing is the
| principal industry of the Mongolians.
The country's wealth is primarily in its
herds of horses, camels, oxen and sheep
and the products of these herds-wool,
| furs, skins and horns-are exported, al
most entirely to Soviet Russia. Although
the Japanese are a f1sh-eating people
Mongolia might become a source of food
stuffs for Japan's rapidly increasing pop
ulation.
Economic Penetration Blocked.
Mineral resources are secondary in
still largely unknown. Salt and gold are
the principal mineral exports to Russia,
but besides these there are known de-
| posits of copper, tin, iron and silver.
Japan has endeavored vainly to open
up Outer Mongolia to economic pene-
tration, tactic which she developed
long ago in China and Manchuria BY
1895 Japanese troops had established
their control not only over Manchuria,
but over the Inner Mongolian provinces
of Jehol, Chahar and Suiyaun as WELL
Then Japans knock was heard at Outer
Mongolia's door, which one Japanese
diplomat described as Manchukuo
knocking at Outer Mongolias door as
Commodore Perry knocked at Japan's
door in 1858."
First border incidents, then negotia-
tions, Mongolias insistence that the
issues be limited to the incidents them
selves, Japan's demand that they include
the opening up" of Outer Mongolia to
subjects of Japan and Manchukuo. More
incidents, more negotiations, ultimate,
communicates and Japan finally decided
to camp outside Mongolias house until
the opportunity appeared to spring
through the door.
In 1885 Japan found Mongolian gov
ernment defiant of her demands for ad-
mission; in 1889 it is Mongolian gov
ernment even more defiant and firm in
resisting Japanese penetration. Behind
the Mongol strength is the whole
strength of Soviet Russia pledged to de-
fend Outer Mongolia by mutual as
sistance pact concluded in 1896.
Technically Part of China.
That pact put the military strength Of
each party at the disposal of the other,
but it did nothing to clarity the position
of Outer Mongolia between China and
Russia.
Technically-and most mapmakers for
want of more exact information respect
the technicality-Outer Mongolia is q
part of China, but for all practical pur-
poses, war and peace as well as economic
development, it is an integral part of the
Union of Socialist Soviet Republics.
Even its relationship to the Soviet
Union is obscure, somewhere between
that Of an ally and full-nedged COM