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of the League.
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c -M u -d e
1932
g o v r r m e m :';
t h e Chi n e s e
[ e Le -i t i un .
the S e c r e t a r y - G e n e r a l .
t h e r e q u e s t o f t h e C h in e s e d e l e g a t i o n , the S e c r e t a r y h a s t h e h o n o u r to c i r c u l a t e to th e C o u n c i l an d the
o f t h e L e a g u e t h e f o l l o w i n g commun:! c a t i n n d a t e d
.
Ref . / a
P h . M l Mi';;. V B ^ Fû h :
:a LYTTOE C(
sic
: .
The C o m m i s s i o n o f E n q u i r y a p p o i n t e d i n c o n f o r m i t y w i t h
Paragraph
o f t h e C o u n c i l i . e s o l u t i o n o f D e c e m b e r 1 0 t h h a s now
s u b m itte d a P r e l l M r m r g p.eport w it: r e f e r e n c e " to t h e e x i s t i n g
s i t u a t i o n in so f a r a s t h i s a f f e c t s f u l f i l m e n t o r o th e rv is e
b y t h e f i - v er n m en t s o f C h i n a a n d « a p a n o f c e r t a i n u n d e r t a k i n g s
e m b o d i e d i n C o u n c i l R e s o l u t i o n o f S e p t e m b e r 3 0 t h and r e i t e r a t e d
i n C o u n c i l R e s o l u t i o n o f December 1 0 t h , " as e n j o i n e d by the
b
P r e s i d e n t i n a d e c l a r a t i o n vvh:
m a d e on t h e a d o p t i o n o f
t h e R e s o l u t i o n o f December 1 0 th
The u n d e r t a k i n g v ; h i c h t h e J a p a n e s e G o v e r n m e n t u n d e r t o o k
fc f u l f i l i n t h e a b o v e - m e n t i o n e d R e s o l u t i o n s was t h a t i t " w i l l
continue as r a p id ly as p o ssib le w ithdraw al of i t s troops in to
th e M an c h u ria R ailw a y Zone i n p r o p o r t i o n a s s a f e t y o f th e
l i v e s and p r o p e r t y o f J a p a n e s e n a t i o n a l s i s e f f e c t i v e l y a s s u r e d . ”
The u n d e r t a k i n g w h i c h t h e C h i n e s e G o v e r n m e n t p l e d g e d t o
fulfi 1 in the above - menti one d I
t h a t i t ’’w i l l
as sum.e res pon sibili ty for th S a f
1 i v u s and p r ope r t y
of Ja pa nes e nationaIs out si d b uha : z. one a s une v i t h d r a w a l o f
the t.!a p a ne se troops c onti nu ;S cJ.lie t h a C h i n e ,
local e u th o ritie f
and. p oi i ce a r e r e - e s t abli she 3
4-
11
The u n d e r t a k i n g "rh i c h b o t h t h e C h i n e s e a n d . J a p a n e s e
G o v e r n m e n t s u n d e r t o o k t o f u l f i l wa s t h a t t h e y " w i l l t a k e a l l
n e c e s s a r y s t e p s t o p r e v e n t a n y e x t e n s i o n of s c o p e o f t h e
i n c i d e n t s or any a g g r a v a t i o n o f th e s i t u a t i o n . '
As t o t h e j o i n t u n d e r t a l c i n g j u s t c i t e d , t h e P r e l i m i n a r y
R e p o rt says t h a t th e Commission must r e s e r v e c o n s i d e r a t i o n
in a l a t e r r e e o r t.
As t o t h e u n d e r t a k i n g o f t h e Chinese G o v e r n m e n t , t h e
P r e l i m i n a r y R ep o rt n o te s t h a t "as e v en ts have develo p ed
r e c e n t l y the p r a c t i c a l q u e stio n o f the f u lf ilm e n t of i t s
r e s p o n s i b i l i t y has n o t a r i s e n . "
The " e v e n t e ” w h i c h t h e C o m m i s s i o n h a s i n v i e w
r e f e r p r e s u m a b l y to t h e e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f t h e p s e u d o Kanchukuo Governm ent a n d t h e non-v;ithdravsral o f the
Japanese tro o p s.
These " e v e n ts " n a t u r a l l y a b so lv e the
C h i n e s e G overnm ent fr o m n o n - f u l f i l m ;iit o f i t s u n d e r t a k i n g ,
o r , as th e Commission r i g h t l y rem ark s i n i t s r e p o r t ,
"th. p r a c t i c a l q u e s tio n of the f u l f i l m e n t o f i t s
re s p o n s ib ility has not a ris e n ."
As t o t h e u n d e r t a k i n g o f t h e J a p a n e s e G o v e r n m e n t t o
"continue as r a p id ly as p o s sib le w ithdraw al o f i t s
t r o o p s i n t o th e ,..anchurian R a il./a / hone", the P r e l i m i n a r y
R e p o r t i s e x p l i c i t ; «Japanese t r o o p s h a v e n o t o n l y not
w i t h d r a w n , - t h e y h a v e i n c r e a s e d i n n u m b e r s a s may b e
s e e n fr o m t h o s e f i g u r e s which th e C om m ission o b t a i n e d
from the J a p a n e s e th e m s e lv e s .
Ron t h e f i r s t p a r t o f
D e c e m b e r , t h e r e " e r e 4 , 0 0 0 i n s i d e a n d 8 , 9 0 0 o u t s i de t h e
S o u t h M a n c h u r i a R a i l w a y , a n d f o r the l a t t e r p a r t o f
A p r i l , t h e numb e r s a r e g i v e n a s 6 , 6 0 0 i n s i d a a n d 1 5 , 8 0 0
o u t s i d e , an i n c r e a s e o f 2 ,6 0 0 i n s i d e and 6 ,9 0 0 o u t s i d e
th e R ailw ay Zone.
These a r e , o f c o u rs e , o n ly J a p a n e s e
fig u res.
The r e a l f i g u r e s m u s t h e v e r y m u c h l a r g e r .
A side from t h e s e Japanese r e g u l a r f o r c e s , t h e r e
i s t h e s o - c a l l e d "iw.nchukuo A rm y ,” t h e t o t a l num ber o f
w h i c h i s s t a t e d t o h a v e b e e n 8 5 , 0 0 0 me n a t t h e e n d o f
M arch.
"This fo rc e " the r e p o r t says "has been c re a te d
w i t h t h e h e l p c f J a p a n e s e m i l i t a r y a u t h o r i t i e s , m a ny
Japanese o f f i c e r s , e i t h e r r e t i r e d or s t i l l belonging to
J a p a n e s e army, have been engaged as m i l i t a r y a d v i s e r s
and t h e i r number is i n c r e a s i n g .
C o n t r a c t s w i t h some
o f t h e s e o f f i c e r s h a v e b e e n made f o r o n e y e a r .
A
J a p a n e s e o f f i c e r h a s b een a p p o in t e d a d v i s e r to th e
• D e p a r t m e n t o f D e fen c e c f th e e.anchukuo G o v e rn m e n t’ a t
C h a n g c h u n ."
As d i s t i n g u i s h e d f r o m t h e " J a p a n e s e R e g u l a r
F o r c e s , t h i s " Mr .nchukuo ^.rmy" m i g h t b e b e t t e r d e n o m i n a t e d
" J a p a n e s e I r r e g u l a r F o r c e s " i n e v e r y s e n s e o f the t e r m .
The f o r c e s o p p o s e d t o t h e . J a p a n e s e t r o o p s a n d
t h e " M a n c h u k u o Army" v a r y i n n u m b e r s a c c o r d i n g t o t h e
P relim in a ry R eport.
The C h i n e s e g i v e t h e i r n u m b e r
as 140,000 o u ts id e th e G reat 7/all.
The J a p a n e s e g i v e
t h e m a s 1 1 0 , 0CP o f w h i c h t h e y s t a t e t h a t 6 0 , 0 0 0 h a v e
j o i n e d t h e " H a n c h u k u o .^rm y" a n d 5 0 , 0 0 0 r e m a i n e d i n
opposition.
Be t h a t a s i t m a y , o n e c o n c l u s i o n may b e
s u s t a i n e d , nam ely, t h a t t h e r e i s s t i l l a l a r g e
o r g a n i z e d f o r c e o p p o s e d to t h e p r e s e n t r e g i m e , and t h a t
the Ja p a n e se fo r c e s and t h e i r a l l i e s a re n o t engaged in
a cam p aig n a g a i n s t i r r e g u l a r s and b a n d i t s a s t h e
J a p a n e s e h a v e c l a i m e d them to b e .
I n c l a s s i f y i n g t h e v a r i o u s f o r c e s now p r e v a l e n t i n
M a n c h u r ia , t h e Commission n o t e s a "new f e a t u r e , 18 nam el y, th e
t r a n ^ b r m a t i o n of t h e l o c a l a d m i n i s t r a t i o n i n M a n c h u r i a ,
A c c o rd in g to t h e C o u n c i l R e s o l u t i o n s o f Sep te mbe r 3 0 t h and
December 1 0 t h , l o c a l a u t h o r i t i e s and p o l i c e o f the C hin ese
Government were t o be r e - e s t a b l i s h e d on t h e w i t h d r a w a l of
J a p a n e s e f o r c e s and t h e h a n d i n g e v e r o f t h e l o c a l p o l i c e
a d m i n i s t r a t i o n by t h e J a p a n e s e t o th e C h in e s e a u t h o r i t i e s , ,
B u t , c o n t r a r y to t h i s p r o c e d u r e e n j o i n e d by t h e League C o u n c i l ,
t h e J a p a n e s e f i r s t h e l p e d i n p u t t i n g up i n t h e l a s t month of
1931 t h e s o - c a l l e d "Committees f o r t h e P r e s e r v a t i o n o f Peace
and O r d e r , " which wore i n t h e words o f t h e P r e l i m i n a r y R e p o r t
" s u b s e q u e n t l y s u p e r s e d e d by an a u t h o r i t y which was e s t a b l i s h e d
on March 9, 1932 a s t h e ’Manchukuo G o v e r n m e n t n
That t h i s
"new f e a t u r e " was n o t c o n t e m p l a t e d by t h e C o u n c i l i n December
l a s t and t h e r e f o r e c o n t r a r y t o i t s R e s o l u t i o n s o f September
3 0 t h and December 1 0 t h go es w i t h o u t s a y i n g »
The R e p o rt makes m entio n o f b a n d i t r a i d s and f i g h t i n g
betwe en t h e v a r i o u s m i l i t a r y f o r c e s a t t e m p t i n g t o m a i n t a i n the
new re gi m e and t h o s e opposed to i t .
This lam entable s t a t e of
a f f a i r s b e a r s w i t n e s s to th e unwisdom o f t h e a c t s of t h e
Japanese m i l i t a r i s t s .
T h e i r one o b j e c t , which h a s b e e n
r e p e a t e d l y c l a i m e d a s j u s t i f i c a t i o n f o r t h e d e s p a t c h and
p r e s e n c e o f J a p a n e s e t r o o p s i n th e T hre e E a s t e r n P r o v i n c e s , i s
t h e m a in t e n a n c e o f p e a c e , o r d e r and s e c u r i t y .
This o b je c t,
t h e R e p o rt a v e r s , i s u t t e r l y d e f e a t e d »
I n i t s own w o rd s , '" th e
r e s u l t i s l o s s of l i f e , d e s t r u c t i o n o f p r o p e r t y and g e n e r a l
se ns e o f i n s e c u r i t y T h e i n e v i t a b l e c o n c l u s i o n to be
d e r i v e d would soem t h a t t h e s i t u a t i o n can onl y be r e m e d ie d by
t h e w i t h d r a w a l o f J a p a n e s e f o r c e s and th e e s t a b l i s h m e n t o f t h e
l e g a l a u t h o r i t i e s o f t h e C hinese Government.
As a w h o le , t h e R e p o r t i s a v i n d i c a t i o n o f th e
C hin e s e p o s i t i o n v i s - a - v i s t h e S i n o - J a p a n e s e d i s p u t e w i t h
r e s p e c t to t h e Three 3 a s t e r n P r o v i n c e s .
I t i s of unm istakable
o p i n i o n t h a t t h e J a p a n e s e have n o t c a r r i e d o u t t h e i r p l e d g e s
a s embodied i n t h e C o u n c i l R e s o l u t i o n s of September 3 0 t h and
December 1 0 t h .
A l l d o u b t s s h o u l d now bo removed t h a t i t is
t h e i n t e n t i o n o f th e J a p a n e s e t o c r e a t e an armed m i l i t a r y s t a t e
i n Manchuria u n d e r J a p a n e s e d i r e c t i o n and c o n t r o l a s a
p r e l im in a r y stage towards t h e i r r e a l i z a t i o n of e s t a b l i s h i n g a
hegemony ov er t h e Three E a s t e r n P r o v i n c e s ,
As such i t s h o u l d
n o t bo c o u n t e n a n c e d by t h e l e a g u e and the w o r l d .