Business of Peace

Potent, the League of Nations Radio Station was talking directly with Shanghai last week when suddenly a Japanese bombing plane dropped something that silenced the Shanghai station. Next day a quavering old man who is the Foreign Minister of Belgium, Monsieur Paul Hymans. called to order in Geneva an extraordinary session not of the League Council (14 nations) but of the League Assembly (55 nations)--an extraordinary session called especially to deal with the military troubles between Japan and China.

Cablegrams were pouring in from Shanghai, though the Chinese radio remained silent. Reading to the assembly a cable he had just received from China's leading banker, T. V. Soong, the Chinese Delegate at Geneva, Dr. W. W. Yen stated: first, that the fighting continued; second, that in Banker Soong's opinion the Japanese forces were advancing from Shanghai to occupy Nanking, the Chinese capital; third, that 35,000 additional Japanese soldiers had just landed at Shanghai with tanks, artillery and cavalry detachments.

The Assembly then heard Japanese Delegate Naotake Sato. ''Shanghai is a whispering gallery where false rumors and mendacious news are bred," said he. "Only 40,000 Japanese troops in all are engaged in the front lines at Shanghai."

Spontaneous laughter rocked the entire Assembly. Japan's Sato sat down. One after another 15 of the so-called minor nations affirmed that Japan has put herself morally in the wrong, that her actions at Shanghai are indefensible. Some of the minor nations added that Japan should get out of Manchuria. But no Great Power associated itself with the striking and broadly unanimous declarations of the 15 minor nations: Colombia, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece. Mexico, The Netherlands, Norway, Persia, Portugal. Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Uruguay.

These minor nations were restrained from demanding sanctions (military action) or economic boycott against Japan by the attitude of the Great Powers. In Geneva able Hugh Gibson, close friend of President Hoover, industriously circulated for several days before the Assembly met strong intimations that both President Hoover and Secretary Stimson were opposed to sanctions or boycott of Japan. Accordingly the Assembly passed a weak-kneed resolution "recommending . . . negotiations ... for regulating the withdrawal of Japanese forces."

Japanese forces, instead of withdrawing from Shanghai, advanced. But Sir Eric Drummond, Secretary General of the League of Nations, was soon able to read to the Assembly a message from Mr. Stimson promising "cooperation" with the Assembly resolution. So quickly does the League helm respond to a touch from one of the Powers, that when Japanese Delegate Sato, by a slip of the tongue. admitted last week that at Shanghai there was "war," the League interpreter translating Mr. Sato's remarks substituted for war "hostilities."

To Geneva businessmen Peace is a business. As a business proposition, the City recently built a hall with stone facing on which is displayed a wooden sign: CONFERENCE pour la REDUCTION et pour la LIMITATION des ARMAMENTS. This conference has been in session more than a month (TIME, Feb. 8 et seq.) and from the 5,000 Delegates and hangers-on Geneva businessmen have already got back their money and made a profit.

So thoroughly deadlocked was the Geneva Conference last week that correspondents covering it had to scratch their heads and write about the nocturnal fun at Geneva's Casino, about the tawdry Geneva theatres now crowded nightly and about the "triumph"' of that yelping, undulant Negress, La Belle Josephine Baker. Songs by Negro and other crooners included "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny," "The Old Folks at Home" and "My Old Kentucky Home."

One night U. S. Chief Delegate Hugh Gibson addressed the U. S. public by radio in reassuring terms. Next day a correspondent of great courage and some spleen, Frank H. Simonds of Manhattan's Evening Post, flatly accused not only Mr. Gibson but the chief delegates of other Great Powers of deliberately trying to mislead world public opinion.

The chief delegates, declared Correspondent Simonds, were saying among themselves and in non-quotable chats with the Press that it is impossible to reduce or limit armaments at present. But in public statements and permitted quotations the chief delegates remained last week Peace Pollyannas.

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