Evening star., 1940-10-20
The Far East

war against China. Its southern emo
Is in British territory, Burma. Its north
ern end is in China, and
Chinese leads to Chungking, the pro-
lifeline visional Chinese capital.
Over it go supplies for
Chinas armies The British closed 1t IN
July at Japanese insistence. They opened
II last week after conferring with the
American Government, which has be-
come the foremost critic of the Japanese
Chinese adventure, especially since
Japan allied herself to Germany ana
italy. The roads bombing was expected
The Asiatic situation became lncreas-
inelv tense as the week progressed and
the day approached for the roads open
ing.
The center of American population IN
the Asiatic war area is Shanghai. "A
furry of nervousness was aroused tnere
Monday by a shot fired at motorcar
carving japanese naval officers, Whlcn
led the Japanese Army to close on tne
.Japanese-held Hongkew region from the
rest of the International Settlement 1or
tvo hours. An unidentified Chinese was
said to have fired the shot, Wnlcn oio
not hit the officers, but spllntereo tne
windshield, the glass fragments OF WHICH
2 injured the chauffeur. :
The Shanghai Americans saw IN the
arrangements being made for their de-
nart,re for the United States, by speclai
ships arranged by the State Department.
evidence that authorities expected trou-
bile around Shanghai. Mrs. Nelson Jonn-
son. wife of the United States Amoas-
sador to China, booked passage Tor her-
self and her two children ABOARD tne
American liner President Coolidge,
which leaves Shanghai November IL. "A
large contingent of Americans pooKeo
Massage for home on the japanese snip
Nitta Maru, sailing yesterday
The Japanese officials registered con-
cern over this large-scale American oe-
parture, conferring with Joseph Z. Nle"'
American Ambassador, about its mean
ing; but Japan continued
Lana, her Asiatic policy never
Married theless. French authorltles
in Hanoi, 1ndo-Chlna'
.-oited the arrival of a japanese eco
nonnic mission which was expected "
take the preliminary steps Tor extenoils
1ananese interest in Southern 1loo-
china whose rubber supply now goes
nrincinally to the United States. Japan
already has military rights in TINS large
Asiatic French colony, neighborlng Chiha
and Burma. t,r.,,or
The State Department gave 1urtiei
reflection of Asiatic tenseness 1uesoay
with the announcement OF new passport
repulations prohibiting American IaVel
IN the Far East except by persons VINO
can show they have urgent business.
At the stroke of midnight THURSDAY
the Burma Road opened. A caravan OF
trucks miles in length began the "ip
along the worlds most famous hlgn"ay.
They moved at night to outWlt Japanese
bombing planes Chinese labor squads
were drawn up along the road at stra-
tegic points to reconstruct 1t as 1ast as
the japanese might harm II. lhat II
would be harmed nobody doubted. Ihe
closest japanese airplanes were in lndo-
China, and the chief of the japanese
military missions there, Maj. Gen. Raj
shiro Sumita, said: Japan is reso-
1utelv determined to prevent war ma
terials supplied by the United States or
any third power from reaching Chang
Kai-shek's armies" But the general
added with emphasis that bombs would
be dropped on the Burma Road IN
Chinese territory and not on British.
His promise was fulfilled. The roads
Chinese terminus is at Running, Yum
nan province. On Friday
kunmino Japanese naval craft from
the South China fleet at
0o"'oe' tackled munitions factories
In the Running suburbs and military
establishments within the city. AS the
hombers blasted around the head of the
Burma Road, the prospects OF opening
another line into China died. The Co.
lonial Secretary at Hong Kong, N. L..
Smith, recalled his announcement that
he planned to reopen the Hong Kong
route to the passage of petroleum prod
ucts and railway goods to China. He
said he acted on advice from London.
The Hong Kong route was closed par
italy January and completely July II.
1t leads from Chinas east coast.
Protest against the Hong Kong
routes opening had been filed by the
japanese with British officials at both
Toxic and Hong Kong. The Toxic press
had limited that the reopening of the
Hong Kong route would be met with
counter measures and foreign circles at
Hong Kong had foreseen the islands