Evening star., 1946-05-12
Threat of World Conflict
Seen in ManChuria Again
Observers Fear That Communist Activities MAY
Be Seed of New War Just as Jap Invasion
in 1881 Led to Last.
Bv Constantine BroiUn

cially In september, 1883, WAeH Ciie
Nazi armies crossed the border and
"blitzed" Poland. AS matter OF TACT,
however, the war started much earlier,
on September 10, 1881, when the Japa-
nese troops invaded Manchuria to safe
guard the empires rights" in that coun-
try and clean up the Chinese bandits" ;"
Many military and political observers
express the fear, in private converse
tions, that the third world war may
have already begun in the same area
where the war started unoficially Is
years ago.
In the days before the Communist
regime was established in Russia, the
Czarist governments demonstrated
keen interest in Manchuria, Chinas
richest province. They eXtorted special
privileges and concessions in that terri
tory from the venal and weak Peking
government. Even after the spectacular
defeat of the imperial armies at the
hands of the Japanese in the Russo
japanese war, which ended in 1904,
Russia did not lose her interest in
Northern Manchuria, where she con-
tinued to exercise an exclusive influence
and to dominate the key city of Harbin.
Halted by Wilson.
AT the end of the First World War
the star-gazing European diplomats,
scared out of their wits by the Dol
shevik menace" would gladly have in
dorsed the occupation not only of Man.
churia and Shantung by the japanese
but would have been willing to give them
full control in Siberia as well.
Woodrow Wilson put his foot down
and managed to save Siberia for the
Russians and to stem japanese impe-
rialism on the Asiatic mainland tempo
rarily.
Europe's diplomats reluctantly ac-
cepted the decisions of the American
President, but did their utmost to boil
ster the strength of Japan. AS result
Britain, France and the other European
nations helped Japan to become first
class power She was given mandate
over large archipelagoes in the Pacific
and later began fortifying them against
the provisions of the mandate.
When Japan began the Second World
War in 1881 the League Of Nations
refused to take any action. 1t lived n
a fools paradise and, despite the Wig
orous demands of the then Secretary
of State Henry L. Stimson, decided only
to "investigate the situation; in other
words, WhiteWash Japan and encourage
I,o states
which were being created in Europe.
in policy of aggression.
Appeasement Danger Realized.
History repeats itself. Instead of an
Oriental power we have today semi
Oriental power which by devious means
Is providing the groundwork for another
world conhagration in the same area
where the Second World War began.
A policy of appeasement characterized
the craftsmanship of the western ma
tions regarding Russias ambition in
Europe until last February, when Sec
retary of State Byrnes became aware
of the dangers of that policy and con-
Quoted the foreign policies of the United
d
But the situation in the Far East
remained obscure and our policy con-
tinued hesitant. Russia, which had re-
Trained from giving active support to
the Communists in China throughout
the war, changed its policies after vi
day.
During the war the American Govern
ment recognized only one authority in
China-that of the central government
headed by Generalissimo Chang Kai-
shek. The frictions between his admin
istration and the Communist organiza-
ton in Yenan headed by Gen. Mao
Tse-tang, Moscow-trained Communist,
were of little consequence.
Tune Is Changed.
After the Allied victory over Japan
things changed rapidly. Under the i'm
pact of the loud shrieks of the American
liberals" who had powerful support
in the highest government circles, it was
decided that there were two authorities
in China, one represented by the Chung
king government and the other by the
Yenan regime. Those in the Yenan
organization were not Communists, the
American people were informed by the
press and radio commentators who sup
ported all of Russia's moves in the field
of foreign affairs, but agrarians who
could no longer bear the oppressive rule
of the reactionary Chungking govern
ment.
Almost overnight Generalissimo Chang
became a Fascist-minded ruler, while
Gen. Mao was a real liberal who had
the interest of the Chinese under -dog"
at heart Chang was described as
sinister figure while Mao and his sup
porters were painted as the white hope
of China.
BY implication the State Department
recognized the authority of the Yenan
group, as government when it sent
an official mission to be stationed in the
Chinese Communist capital.
When Gen. George C. Marshall was
sent to China as Special Ambassador he
was instructed to "unify" China by
bringing the two factions together. The,
administration evidently forgot that we
had been dealing officially with the
"Chungking faction" as sovereign
government. Moreover, President Tru-
man made an official statement that
the American Government stood ready
to help in unifying China with every
means at its disposal.
The Chinese Communists rightly felt
that they had obtained unoficia! recog-
milton from the American Government
and that without their Cooperation
China would not be unified and thus