Shanghai Gestures

Pure Heroism, unsurpassed by men of any race, drove some of the Chinese and some of the Japanese battling at Shanghai last week to supreme efforts, almost unbelievable but reported by correspondents who said they saw what happened. Japanese soldiers, facing Chinese barbed wire entanglements covered at close range by Chinese guns, walked slowly into the wire carrying dynamite, drew upon themselves a Chinese fire which weakened the Chinese entanglements little by little. Among "somewhat wounded" Chinese soldiers (men with perhaps an arm shot off or an eye shot out), a spontaneous movement rose to volunteer as "human bombs." Such a Chinese, first soaking his clothes and bandages in gasoline, would hug a bomb to his breast with his one remaining arm and run as fast as he could to hurl himself & bomb against the Japanese. Not many "human bombs" reached their mark. Most blew up and burned up as the heroic Chinese ran into the leaden teeth of Japanese machine gun fire. Not in Shanghai but in London an English lay preacher started a movement to enlist Occidentals willing to go to Shanghai and heroically interpose themselves between the fighting Orientals until enough Occidentals had been killed to produce peace. His Majesty King George has decorated for valor on the Western Front an officer who was promoted until he became Brigadier-General Frank Percy Crozier, retired.* Last week in London the first distinguished Occidental to volunteer to give his life at Shanghai for Peace was General Crozier.

Economics, Heroism is less important than economics. Japan, with her superior weapons, was beginning last week to weigh other factors of extreme importance:

P: Japan did not much fear a U. S. boycott (to which she knew President Hoover was opposed) but she suffered acutely last week from a boycott launched against her months ago by China. Significantly the National Foreign Trade Council announced in Manhattan that China's boycott of Japan and India's boycott of Britain resulted during 1931 in increased U. S. exports to Asia. U. S. exports to the rest of the world decreased 20%.

P:Japanese have already strained the Empire's fiscal resources by pouring $35,000,000 into the Shanghai expedition alone. Last week big Japanese bankers called Japanese War Minister Lieut.-General Araki on the carpet and cautioned him as only big bankers can caution. The United Press got past the Japanese Government censor a dispatch intimating that Prince Saionji, the Elder Statesman upon whose advice the Emperor acts, was opposed to the Shanghai drive. Attitudes. Most powerful forces were therefore working inside Japan for peace, but not unimportant were the attitudes of the Great Powers. The U. S. Government was still protesting, still hopeful of a quick peace and resolved that Japan should not keep any war spoils she might win (see p. 11). The British Government was passive, inclined to expect a Japanese victory at Shanghai and disposed to let Japan keep reasonable winnings. The French Government, while sympathetic toward Japan, was apathetic except for slight alarm lest a discussion of "treaty rights" in the Orient should lead to discussion of the Treaty of Versailles (which France does not want discussed). The Russian Government was on the qui vive (see p. 20). Thus Japan was not under pressure from any "united front'' presented by the Great Powers last week. Japanese correspondents cabled to Tokyo from Washington that President Hoover and Secretary Stimson had "split" on the Sino-Japanese issue, the President wanting to do nothing and the Secretary of State wanting to write a stern note to Japan. Tokyo, hearing this, accepted the Stimson-to-Borah letter as "proof" that Mr. Hoover had not let Mr. Stimson write to Japan.

Stiff, unexpected Chinese resistance to the Japanese drive (which last week had been held up at Shanghai for exactly a month) was probably the factor that made Japanese Generals and Admirals uneasiest. Once in battle, a Japanese samurai ("two-sworded man") is barred by the Samurai Code from calling for help. A samurai is Lieut.-General Uyeda, Japanese military commander at Shanghai last week. When he and his army got utterly to the end of their rope, Samurai Uyeda did not call for help. But his good friend Admiral Nomura called and Tokyo sent help, sent enough troops to double the Japanese expeditionary force, poured in so many planes and guns that Japan herself was in no proper state of defense.

Truce? Peace proposals by Japan have kept pace with the Japanese Shanghai drive from the day it was launched, each Japanese bombardment being accompanied by a Japanese proposal that the Chinese peacefully withdraw. Suddenly last week Sir John Simon, British Foreign Secretary, was able to inform the League of Nations Council at Geneva that on the British flagship in Shanghai harbor Chinese and Japanese representatives had met, talked for two hours, and agreed "in principle" upon terms of Japanese and Chinese withdrawal from the Shanghai area.

This might mean everything or nothing, as Sir John and Geneva's other seasoned diplomats well knew. It might mean that the Japanese or Chinese or both were playing for time in which to bring up their reserves. It might mean quick, actual peace.

The day it was announced Sir John's peace proposal meant little to the Chinese and Japanese in the line. Twice in 24 hours Chinese and Japanese troops swept back and forth across Chapei's Paitse Bridge. Japan threatened to carry bombing operations 50 miles inland if further Chinese reinforcements arrived. This would mean bombing the richest paddy fields in China, between Shanghai and Nanking. Shanghai's defender, pale scholarly General Tsai Ting-kai risked it. Thirty-nine years old, he boasts that this is his 170th military campaign.

"We have won so far, and we will win again," said General Tsai, "in principle."

Through Japan en route to China passed, last week, the League of Nations' Commission on Manchuria. With good luck they might rush upon the scene just in time to be hailed as Heaven-sent arbitrators by both fighting factions. In Japan they commented exclusively on "the beauty of Japanese scenery."

* Author of perhaps the most candid War book by an officer of such high rank, A Brass Hat in No Man's Land (Cape & Smith, $2.50).

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