Evening star., 1941-06-23
China, Losing Russia
As Source Of Supply,
1oSeek More u. ). Aid
Soviets Always Helped
Chang Koi-shek More
Than Any Other Country
BY BLAIR BOLLES.


can material aid to China are ex-
pected here to make up for China's
loss of Russia as a source of supply.
The opening of the Russo German
War, 1t was reported authoritatively
today, has forced the Soviets to
abandon their policy of helping
their neighbor. Russia needs for
herself all the military equipment
she can lay her hands on.
Russia, more than any other
country, including the United States,
has been providing China with
goods-planes, pilots, trucks. field
suns-and money, about 100000
600 in all. Russia has given China
assistance also by assigning military
instructors and staff officers to the
armies of Generalissimo Chang
Kai-shek.
Although American military aid
has been increasing, especially since
the return from China of the mis-
sion headed by Laughlin Currie of
the White House executive staff, it
has never matched in overall volume
the Russian aid. Only during the
last year of war almost four years
old has the United States given real
military material help, although
from the beginning it has sent
trucks and gasoline.
Export Figures Shift.
Some idea of the help the United
States has been sending China re-
!. Gently can be gained from the export
statistics for the first three months
OF this year, which disclose that
where formerly the emphasis in our
exports to China was on tobacco
and raw cotton, it has now shifted
to airplane parts, automobiles, gaso-
line and lubricating oil.
The exports to China of air.
planes and parts during the first
three months of this year were
S3,238, 900; the first three months
OF last year, 81 $4,000; automobiles,
including trucks, January March,
1941, S2,379000; January March,
1910, $366,000; gasoline, January
March. 1941, 1851 900; January
March, 1910, S659,000: lubricating
oil, January March, 1941, s688,OOO
January March, 1910, s3O8 900.
The size of these exports has
grown, although no figures are avail
able since March, but the volume
of Russian aid, even since the sign
ing of the Russian-Japanese nom
aggression pact, has remained ahead
of American.
The loss of Russian help comes
ut a particularly difficult time for
China. because Japan has launched
a summer offensive against the
fronts in South Shansi, Hupeh-
Honan and South Kwantung. Ad-
vice reaching Washington relates
that the Japanese have reinforced
their troops at these positions.
Three fresh divisions. it is said.
have been added to the Japanese
force fighting along the yellow River
m Southern Shansi.
Problem in Alternatives.
The Russian move. it is thought,
also presents certain problems for
Japan regarding the choice of al
tentative actions. After the signing
of the Soviet-Japanese non-aggres-
sion pact, the Japanese Withdrew
between three and four divisions
from that part of Manchukuo near
the Russian border. One of these
divisions was sent to Formosa, in
the China Sea, and two were sent
to Japan for retraining and fresh
ening.
The United States, in its policy
of active sympathy for Russia since
yesterday mornings invasion by
Germany, will have doubi reason
now for keeping Japan occupied in
China. Aside from the fundamental
wish of this country to make pos
sible an ultimate Chinese victory
over Japan, the American Govern
ment has been animated in its help
to China also by the pragmatic
wish to stay Japan from its south
ward drive.
Now the United States will take
steps to keep Japan from making a
northward drive against Russia and
harassing the Soviet in Siberia while
Germany drives in from the west
The United States considers a strong
Russia an asset to this hemisphere
at the moment.
Japan Might Drive Overland.
Until the German invasion of
Russia began one faction in Japan
was urging that the southwark
drive be made through the Fed
Grated Malay States and British
Malaga toward Singapore by land !
from Thailand, for practical pur-
poses a Japanese passive ally, and
from French Indo-C China, where
Japan has bases.
This alternative avenue for south
ward expansion was offered in view
of the stubborn refusal of the Dutch
East Indies to acquiesce in Japanese
demands for large-scale economic
cooperation" There was specula-
ton here whether Japan might be
withholding this land southwark
drive until it sees what success
Germany has in Russia.
1t is speculated that one OBJ
tective of Germany in it's new cam
paign is the British Empire of South
Central Asia, mainly India. Japan
has laid the groundwork for an
attack on Burma, east of India,
which could be carried out in CO.
operation with Germans moving
from the Near East along some
what the Same rol1te folIou,ed oep