Plots & Shots

P: At Pogranichnaya, a frontier station on the Chinese Eastern Railway, a patrol of Japanese troops wandered about 1,000 yards into Soviet territory. By the time they had fought their way back to their own side of the fence one Japanese lieutenant and two Japanese soldiers were dead.

P: In Tokyo four wild-eyed young men, members of one of Japan's patriotic societies (Kenkokukai) invaded the offices of the Soviet Tass News Agency, attempted to bluff Red reporters into leaving the country. Around the Soviet embassy Japanese police set a close guard, arrested Japanese interpreters, Japanese language teachers and other Japanese employes on suspicion of espionage, opened parcels. Announced Moscow's Izvestia: "The Japanese attitude toward the embassy of a foreign state is unprecedented in civilized countries."

Such were last week's manifestations of the continuing crisis between Japan and Russia. Meanwhile Japanese statesmen had something even more serious to worry about. News leaked out that the Soviet Government had just concluded a secret treaty with China's Nanking Government, promising mutual assistance in case either country should be attacked by Japan.

At Nanking Japanese Consul General Yakichiro Suma hustled around to the Chinese Foreign Office to protest. With a face blandly childlike the Nationalist Foreign Minister, General Chang Chun, insisted that not only was there no truth in this story but that the Nationalist Government had sent a sharp note to Moscow protesting the Soviet-Mongolian agreement as a breach of Russia's 1924 pledge recognizing China's sovereignty over Outer Mongolia.

Tokyo wiseacres were not impressed. Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalist Government dare not admit an agreement with Russia, for a great proportion of the Chinese Dictator's power comes from the Western world's belief that he and his regime are the chief bulwarks against Communism in Eastern

China. Yet the generalissimo has accepted Russian money before, and his Foreign Minister Chang Chun was once a member of the Canton Revolutionary Government.

Bland General Chang Chun has very little to do with formulating China's foreign policy. A multi-millionaire many times over, his vast fortune comes from the international opium traffic and a goodly slice of the Chinese national lottery. This has given him no Chinese stigma, for General Chang also controls the Bank of

Communications, a poor man's institution that has put branches in almost every city in China and is implicitly trusted by little Chinese farmers and shopkeepers. His presence in the Foreign Office is due to the fact that Japanese tycoons, strongest check to Japanese militarists, trust him too.

A secret Chinese agreement with Russia would put a quietus on the Nationalist Government's none too successful campaign against Chinese Communists in the Central provinces, release thousands of well-equipped troops for use against Japan in the North. Even more important than military advantage to Russia would be the possibility of cutting into the rich Chinese markets now held by Japan and Britain. Reports of the military alliance were last week quickly followed by a rumor that the U. S. S. R. and China were dickering over a commercial agreement.

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