The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1941-12-10
Manchukuo is simply lodged.

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More Points
The Japanese, who are not In al
helpless a state as enthusiastic U. 8
editors sometimes suppose, rejected
the six points, and the conversations
took on q new aspect All that hap
pened. is not known. Obviously the
Japanese wished to save their pre-
cious faces and they may have been
the U. S. s. R. Possibly Roosevelt
and Hull were caught bluffing. AT
any rate, 1t was the British in the
person of Lord Halifax who now took
a hand. With the support Of the
Dutch, but in the face of U. S., Chi
|nese and Australian opposition, Hall
fax suggested what looked like out
right appeasement The Japanese
were presented with brand new set
of points which enraged Chinese Am
bassador HUI Shih to the point of talk
ing about closer collaboration between
China and the Soviet Union. The
new points were roughly these: a
three months armistice (Which might
be called cooling off period'D i'm
mediate withdrawal of Japan from
Indo-China; withdrawal of Japan from
southern China, but not from the
northern provinces Meanwhile the
U. S. would defrost Japanese credits
and relax the commercial blockade.
The Japanese are reported to have
been amenable to these terms but to
have baked at further terms which
included neutrality in the Nazi-Soviet
war, and leaving the Axis. Never
theless, for a few days last week it
looked as If Japan might win a diplo-
matte victory herself.
But by Wednesday, HUI Shih had
called in T. v. Soong, Chinese finan-
cial expert and relative of Madame
Chang Kai Shek. Supported by Aus
tralian Ambassador Casey the Chi
nese ENJOYS heatedly requested Roose-
welt and Hull to honor the pledges to
China they had tossed about so freely.
The President and Hull were so i'm
pressed by HUI Shih's wrath that they
called the Japanese to the White
House late Wednesday to tell them
that the original six points still stood.
The Japanese said no"
By Thursday, the President and
Hull were worried. They want the
conversations to continue and they
are reported to want an agreement
badly enough to be willing to see the
Chinese back down quite distance.
But the japanese, after the rebuff Of
Wednesday night, no longer were in
4 conciliatory mood; when 1t was sug-
gested Thursday that Admiral No
nura call at the state department,
he ambassador replied that he saw
40 reason for it. So the President |
called both Nomura and special envoy |
Kurusu to the White House Thurs |
lay night for a conference with Hull |
and himself. AS the week ended |
here was no evidence that anything |
had been accomplished. However, |
he Presidents statement that mer- |
,hantmen would not be armed for |
'uns across the Pacific indicated that |
he door was still open for an agree
nent.
Influences
In the absence of new facts, the
,est Washington opinion was that If
he talks continued long enough, the
Halifax appeasement policy would
Prevail. Obviously, however, neither
he U. S. nor Japan is likely to take
n irrevocable step without care
I'll evaluatiOn of what is happening
elsewhere in the world. Japan, if
lot the U. S., will be influenced by
he progress of the campaigns in Lib
"a, along the Black Sea and around
doscow Moreover, the British view