MANCHUKUO: Like Panama

A Japanese image of the U. S. Ambassador to Japan, handsome Joseph Clark Grew, is Yosuke Matsuoka, Japan’s delegate to the League of Nations. Last week Delegate Matsuoka arrived in Geneva, having traveled half way round the world to present Japan’s explanation-of Manchukuo’sexistence.

He had several odd jobs to do on the way. Followed by a comet’s tail of attaches and Japanese reporters, he went from Tokyo first to Mostow, where he attempted, to arrange for Russian recognition of Manchukuo. Soviet officials remained coy but indefinite. Russia is genuinely anxious to sign treaties of non-aggression with her neighbors, but she can see no advantage in recognizing Manchukuo without first receiving such a treaty from Japan.

From Moscow, Delegate Matsuoka traveled to Paris where the Japanese Embassy gave a luncheon, attended by Premier Herriot who from soup to entremets talked resolutely about nothing but fishing.

These preliminaries over last week. Delegate Matsuoka hurried on to Geneva and presented to the League a 40,000-word rebuttal to the Lytton report on Manchuria which she had made Manchukuo. It was simple and blunt. Japan denies that in invading Manchuria she violated either the League Covenant, the Kellogg Pact, or the Nine Power Treaty guaranteeing Chinese sovereignty. Japan denies that Manchuria is an integral part of China. Japan denies that her army acted except in self defense. Once again Japan makes the excuse that she merely protected a revolt-started by Manchurian nationalists. Japan will neither accept censure from the League nor act on the Lytton Commission’s suggestions which “appear also to be too refined and intricate, and not adaptable to the realities of the Far East.”*

In the League Council chair while Mr. Matsuoka talked, sat President Eamon de Valera of the Irish Free State. Once or twice Lord Lytton reddened as the Japanese diplomat gave the Lytton Report the courteous lie direct. With head thrown back China’s Smart Dr. V. K. Wellington Koo stared at the ceiling until Mr. Matsuoka sat down and the council recessed.

When the Council re-convened it waited 20-minutes for China’s Dr. Koo, while Chinese underlings explained to newshawks that “in-the Orient” such tardiness is “a sign of grave dissatisfaction.” Unimpressed, British Foreign Secretary Sir John Simon and French War Minister Paul-Boncour frankly dozed while Dr. Koo spoke for 90 minutes, threatening to revive China’s boycott of Japanese goods, sarcastically observing. “If we believed everything the Japanese delegate told us we would be forced to believe that meek Japan is being devoured by ferocious China!” and hurling this challenge to the Council, “The time has now come for prompt and effective action by the League!”

*An advance summary of Japan’s rebuttal appeared the day before in the Tokyo Press. This summary recalled an embarrassing precedent: in setting up Manchukuo she did no more than Theodore Roosevelt did in sending Marines to help Panama’s revolution against Colombia. Well circulated in the world Press, the Panama parallel was tactfully removed from the official text.