Evening star., 1946-05-12

Gllt VI tllC al
According to the terms of the Sino-
Russian treaty of August IS, 1945, Man.
churia was to be taken over by the Ma
tionaliSt armies as soon as the Russians
began their withdrawal. We did not
insist after VI day that the disarma-
ment and repatriation Of the Japanese
Kwantung army should be carried. out
by all the powers involved in the war
against Nippon. And because of our
diplomatic inertia, Manchuria became a
Russian zone until such time as the
Nationalist forces, which were hundreds
of miles away and lacked means of
transportation, could be sent to the
province to replace the Russians.
Russians Have Free Hand.
In August, 1945, we had ample
forces on the Asiatic mainland to send
to Manchuria to assist the Russians in
disarming the japanese. But in order
not to offend our Ally, we allowed the
Red armies to remain master in that
vital area.
Chang saw the writing on the wall.
He realized that because of the handi-
caps which delayed the movement of
his troops the Russians would do their
utmost to place their Yenan puppets
in control of Northern Manchuria. He
warned the American Government that
this would be the case. But his warn
ings were met with a shrug of the
shoulder by our officials on the spot and
were received in Washington with in
difference.
The Russians worked fast. They
piled up the modern military equipment
of the Kwantung army in Northern
Manchuria and ordered Gen. Mao to
rush in his irregulars as fast as he
could. In the meantime, to throw dust
in the eyes of the American people,
who consider China much farther re-
moved than Europe in terms of real
American interests, Gen. Macs repre-
sentative at Chungking agreed to sign
truce and comply with Gen. Marshall s
scheme of three-man teams to supervise
its enforcement.
Scheme Gains Time.
1t is now apparent that the whole
scheme was to gain time for the Com
munists to enter Manchuria under Rus
sian protection. The truce, of course,
did not cover that section of China
because when it was signed there were
no Communists in the area. Further
more, the Russians had agreed in the
treaty with Chang that Manchuria
would be surrendered to the National
government as soon as the Red armies
were withdrawn. The date was set for
November I, 1945, but was postponed
to February /, 1916, at Chiang's request.
Russia has a short and a long range
policy. The short-range policy covers
immediate situations wherein expedi-
ency plays an important part. The long
range policy represents the final ma
tional aims of the government.
While we were withdrawing our forces
from the China theater, Chang had
difficulty obtaining the necessary trans
portation for the American-traine reg
ulars. In accordance with the Sino-
Russian treaty the port of Dairen was
to be equally accessible to the Russians
and the Chinese. When Chiangs troops
aboard American Liberty ships reached
that llarbor to entrain for Changchun
and Harbin they were refused admis-
sion by the Red army commander.
Communists Move In.
In the meantime, Communists from
Shantung Province were being taken
through Chefoo to Dairen, unarmed,
put aboard trains and rushed to North
ern Manchuria. They were given mod
ern arms from the Japanese stock pile,
provided with Russian staff officers and
Japanese artillery men were turned
over to them to handle the guns.
In the battle of Changchun the Com
munists, who throughout the war never
handled tank, were in possession of at
least Eight tanks maneuvered by expert
crews. When Chang made indirect rep
resentations that Russian crews were
manning those tanks he was told that
if his contentious were correct some
White Russians, relics of the World War
who had since been established in
Harbin, doubtless had offered their
services to the Communists.
Moreover, while the Chungking gov
ernment was given notice of the Russian
withdrawal from key positions only
three or four days before it occurred
there is evidence that the Communist
high command received this important
bit of information at least four weeks
earlier
The State Department holds to the
view that the Chinese crisis is the result
of dispute between two political
parties, the Kuomintang and the Com
munists. If this were the case there
would be no explosive dangers in the
Far Eastern situation.
According to the men on the spot,
however, the conflict exists between the
National Chinese government and
Russia, which is using the Com
muniStS as a front.
The role assigned to the Yenan Com
munists is clear. They have been
ordered to enter Northern Manahuria
and establish themselves in order to
keep a direct contact between the
U. S. S. r. and China. In this manner
the Soviets can claim they have clean
record of Giving up to the signed
treaties" while the American public,
confused as to the true role of the
Chinese Communists, see in the revival
of fighting between the Nationalist and
Communist armies nothing but an in
ternal strife due to Chiang's intransigent
attitude.
Our observers in China and Japan
see much more >>than that in the
Moscow-Yenan maneuvers They re-
cord tho Monrh,1rio, iot in, ha