The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1945-08-29
SEEKS WESTERN PACIFIC
OCEAN PORTS AND uN-
DISPUTED CONTROL IN
sAKHALIN


AP NewKfeasnrem
kussia's interests in. the
Par East have a stormy his
tory back through the, cen
turies.
Begun with an insignific-
AM tea trade out of north
west China, Moscow's Far
Eastern concern today can
be rolled into two principal
claims:
fear-around ports OPEN
ing 20 the western Pacific
Ocean.
Recovery of undisputed
control of all of Sakhalin
Island, off her Siberian
maritime provinces.
Russian traders began
building their Siberian en-
pire when tea merchants
crossed into northwest China
and Mongolia almost three
centuries ago. 1t was almost
two centuries before the
land of the czars awoke to
the fact it had valuable ma
terial interests east of the
Urals other than an unex-
plored Siberia. m 1
From then on things began to
happen. Spearhead of the Russian
move eastward was the trans
Siberian railway, a long single
track streak of rust stretching
away into the Siberian forests.
This came in 1891 and marked the
beginning of present-day Russia's
interests and position in the far
east.
Cutoff Built
In 1895 came the Russian con-
ccsSion at Hankow in central
China. the result of Russia's
growing purchases of Chinese tea.
Russia pushed the trans-Siber-
ian railway TO the Pacific coast
and down 10 Vladivostok, but
with IL she gained neither direct
route 70 the Pacific coast nor
warm water port, a dream of the
cxars. .l - g. ~
Then came the Russian move
for q direct line east Of Lake
Baiksl 10 Vladivostok.i With the
ides was born the Chinese East
ern Railway. traversing northern
Mnnchuria from Manchuli on the
west. eastward through Hardin to
Vladivostok. From Hardin the
line went south through Man
chuFia 20 the dreamed-of warm
water port, Dairep,, 80. Z,
This Russian railway sxpansiohl
into and through northeastern
China was at the expense of the
Chinese. but Japan eyed the
move with growing alarm. Japan,
in her war with China. had grab
bed Dairen and most of the Lao
tung peninsula on which Dairen
stands, but Russian pressure,
combined with German and
French backing, had forced the
japanese 20 withdraw. This Rus
sian act planted a sore in the
hearts Of the japanese which they
were out TO remove when they
moved against the Car in the
Ruzso-Jspanese conflict of 1904
1905.
The Japanese victory over Rus
Eia left Moscow virtually devoid
of her place in Asia. Gone was
the Manchurian railway empire
and the southern half of Sakhaiin
Island with its rich timber and oil
resources. along with control OF
the Chinese Eastern, Railway
southwark. :, Through Manehuria.
The Observation-Disclosures line
remained under Russian control
The passing of the cars, the
Russian revolution and the estab-
hahment of the Soviet govern
ment saw Russian interests in
NE Far East sink to new lows.
Under Chinese pressure the re-
maining portion of the Chinese
Eastern Railway still in Russian
hands passed TO the Chinese, al
thoagh the financial investment
remained a Russian liability.
Under Russian political impo-
tenee. the Japanese gained fur
ther concessions from them in
Oriental waters. In addition to
Eetting half of Sakhalin under
heir flag. the japanese pres
snred valuable fishing privileges
from the Russians that were to
b. enioyed by Tokyo for years.
Tokyo Takes Over
BY then Japan's aggression on
sentimental Asia was in full flow
er. In 1891 Tokyo took over Man
ehuria. Soon after il reduced the