CHINA: Powers on the Alert

The Chinese Civil War seemed about to spread to Manchuria, last week,—a development of gravest international consequence, since Manchuria contains many Japanese colonists. Swarming up from Nanking, the South Chinese armies of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek were on the verge of capturing Peking from North China Dictator Chang Tso-lin, whom they expected to drive pell mell into Manchuria. Therefore the Imperial Japanese Government sent duplicate stiff notes of warning to both Chinese factions, last week, thus:

“. . . The Japanese Government attach the utmost importance to the maintenance of peace and order in Manchuria, and . . . possibly will be constrained to take appropriate and effective steps for the maintenance of peace and order in Manchuria.

“It must be noted, however, that the policy of the Japanese Government, which consists in maintaining an attitude of strict neutrality towards the contending forces, remains unchanged in every respect, and that should the course of events be such as to render the above-mentioned measure imperative, the Japanese Government will exercise due care to provide against any unfair consequences arising for either of the two opposed parties.”

Protectorate. Among Chinese the threat from Tokyo was generally taken to mean that Japanese Prime Minister Baron Giichi Tanaka now purposes to carry his famed “positive policy” toward China to the extreme of establishing a de facto Japanese Protectorate over Manchuria.

In this connection U. S. State Department officials pointedly remarked that

Japan and the other eight nations which signed the Washington Treaties (19-21-22) are thereby obligated: 1.) To respect the sovereignty, the independence and the territorial and administrative integrity of China; and 2.) To refrain from taking advantage of conditions in China in order to seek special rights Or privileges which would abridge the rights of subjects or citizens of friendly states and from countenancing action inimical to the security of such states.

Secretary of State Frank Billings Kellogg went so far as to add that the U. S. does not recognize any claim that Japan possesses special interests in Manchuria.

Peking Preparations. Twenty-three hundred foreign troops stood prepared to defend the Legation Quarter of Peking, last week, under the prospective command of the senior officer present: Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Holcomb of the U. S. Marine Corps.

At Tientsin, the port nearest to Peking, were U. S. Brigadier General Smedley Darlington (“Old Gimlet Eye”) Butler, U. S. forces of 3,950, and Allied troops bringing the total up to some 8,600, all subject in case of a general emergency to General Arai of Japan.

Off Tientsin was anchored many a war boat of the Powers, and U. S. Minister to China John Van Antwerp MacMurray appeared confident that these precautions would amply suffice to ensure the safety of U. S. citizens in Peking & Tientsin and permit their speedy evacuation if the Chinese Civil War should wax too hot.