CHINA: Inner Mongolia for Inner Mongolians

Inner Mongolia for Inner Mongolians

Between Manchukuo and Outer Mongolia (Russian sphere of influence) lies the vast Inner Mongolian plateau, a flat wildernessof grass ruled by hairy, fur-clad Mongol princes under the nominal overlordship of China’s Nanking Government. Last month from every corner of Chahar and Suiyuan Provinces the princes of Mongolia left their herds of horses, camels and sheep to ride toward the great Lama Temple at Bathahalak, 100 mi. north of Kweihwa. In a little valley they found it, an exquisite cluster of white Manchu buildings, gold-crested pinnacles, infested by bearded monks. They set up their fur yurts (tents) on the plain, capped themselves with full-dress peacock plumes and crowded into the council chamber. There under a portrait of the Panchen Lama sat Prince Teh Wang who for months has been trying to found a Pan-Mongolian self-rule movement. Despite their traditional suspicions of one another, Prince Teh Wang last week herded the princes into agreement. Between pinches of snuff they drew up a Confederation of Inner Mongolian States, haggled out its bylaws. Then they sent word to Nanking that they wanted to rule Inner Mongolia themselves. If Nanking tries to stop them, they threatened, they “will not hesitate to seek assistance” from Japan’s puppet state of Manchukuo—will quit China and throw in with Japan. That would suit Japan beautifully. Inner Mongolia is the great stockyards that made Manchukuo worth grabbing.