Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-04-06
behind
The NEWS
-ByPauI
Malon
WASHINGTON, April 6 The

u
w diplomatic news from Mos
COW Washington and London is
running like a game OF darts in
the dark
A few ear-grazings near
misses, and an occasional hit in
the pants have been recorded.
bat no one. not even the highest
American officials, profess 10
know exactly what is going on
or even what IL means.
Moscow announcement OF the
new Sakhalln agreement with
j pa n was accompanied by
happy unofficial communicating
here suggesting Moscow was
smiling our way.
IT is our custom, apparently,
L to interpret gladly the SEEM
ingly friendly Stain steps, then
10 act panied al unfavorable de-
velopments such as the Chinese
Mongolan agitation by Moscow
but always 10 keep complete
silence officially for supposed
fear of leSSening the Red war
effort.
Not a word has been said Of
ficially by our state department
concerning any of these or ac-
CumulatinC similar incidents. In
fact, Secretary Hull went before
Congress recently to subdue in
advance any rising discussion Of
Russian developments believing
apparently all important settle
mcnts m u.s. await the wars
end. So far, these tactics have
had no noticeable effect upon
Stain. one way or the other.
THE happy Interpretation of
II the Sakhahn agreement by
commentators might as we'll
have been written in the air
with water for ink. No text was
announced either by Moscow
or Tokyo.
All the public has, officially.
or any one else for that matter,
IS a brief communique. Our
popu lar interpretations are
wholly dependent upon editorials
IN Pravda and Tokyo and Mos
COW radio propaganda.
Only superficial conclusions
can be drawn from such made
quate evidence.
If you want these, I can only
reasonably report the agreement
represents a strong psychological
blow TO Japanese prestige. but
apparently amounts to little
from the practical standpoint of
coal, oil and fishing.
RUSSIA, it seems, has taken
~ advantage of Japanees war
fears chat we will get Red
bombing bases, that Stain might
declare war, that victory for
Japan is now obviously hope
less to win back from Tokyo
what Russia lost IN the Russo
Japanese war.
Here, Stain, also is attempt
ing friendly postwar policy
toward Japan, promising de-
livery of substantial amounts of
oil annually after the war Ger
many? or the Pacific p, the
first of the United Nations to
act in this respect toward the
AXIS.
4 S FAR as Sakhalin coal and
"A oil are concerned, the
Tokyo radio propaganda may
well be nearly correct in claim
ing oil production dropped to
$1,000 tons there last year from
a peak of 10000 tons in 1888:
coal dropped to 5000 tons from
24,000 tons.
No one has any figures here,
but the experts believe both oil
and coal production has fallen.
Anyway, the still withdraw
able amount of oil the Japs
have stored there cannot be
estimated. although the practi-
cal war effect of the deal on US
depends on this.
DRAVDA g ditorials were
4 worded as if fishing conces-
sions might have been termi-
mated but only the northern
Sakhalin water agreements
nearest Alaska and most i'm
portant TO u.s. were terminated,
while other fishing concessions
to Japan were extended.
The fact that Stain chose al
most Immediately to pick a pub
lie dispute with China over the
always touchy Monaghan prob
lem. using a doubtful incident
now nearly six months old. sug-
gests this step may have been
an unannounced part of the
Sakhalin agreement, verbal if
not written.
Previous Soviet actions against
China on the Monaghan prob
lem came after agitation in the
Jap press. The ineffective Stain
complaint 10 China therefore,
may serve TO appcaSe Jap pres
tige at home, wounded by the
settlement.
ONLY common ScnSe over all
~ Judgment possible has been
rendered by the resigned Soviet
metals purchaser
here. Victor kravchenko, pro-
testing the whole current diplo-
matte line of the kremlin.
He calls it "double-faced poll
teal maneuVerS. charging
Stain has not drOpUod COvnD1u-