Shantung, Hong Kong

Chinese regained 1,100 square miles last week from the Japanese, according to exclusively Chinese reports. Previously, of China's 4,480,992 square miles, Japanese had taken:

13,825 last week 25,115 in the last month 168,827 in the last year 668,827 since 1931

The Man & Wife of 1937, Chinese Generalissimo & Mme Chiang Kai-shek went separate ways last week from Hankow, the de facto capital of China. She flew 600 miles to the comparative safety of British Hong Kong in the South. He flew 275 miles to the hottest battle sector in the North, near Suchow in fertile Shantung, "China's Breadbasket." Tighter censorship, both Chinese and Japanese, reduced most war news to rumor. It was, however, credible if conflictingly rumored:

1) That under Generalissimo Chiang's personal leadership crumpling Chinese resistance in Shantung rallied, that the city of Tsining, captured fortnight ago by the Japanese was several times recaptured by both sides with the Chinese finally claiming 250 square miles;

2) That south of Nanking forces apparently composed of Chinese soldiers who recently fled this former capital, plus some fresh troops, recaptured an area of 850 square miles, including four cities;

3) That Shantung's former Governor, General Han Fu-chu, was arrested by order of the Generalissimo, carried to Hankow, tried for treason and reported executed. Last year General Han contributed $50,000,000 Mex. to Chiang's cause, but his complete failure to defend Shantung presumably canceled this credit;

4) That the Generalissimo was acting more & more in concert with Chinese Communists, hence the reported execution of General Han, hence the arrests last week by Chiang's order of General Yen Hsi-shan, long famed as "The Model Governor of Shansi" and of the even better known "Christian General" Feng Yu-hsiang;

5) That the Generalissimo was now going to campaign against the Japanese exclusively by means of hit-and-run guerilla warfare;

6) That the Generalissimo was massing 400,000 troops for frontal resistance to the Japanese.

No rumor was the fact that Mme Chiang, her sister Mme H. H. Kung, wife of China's Premier, and their brother T. V. Soong, Big Banker to the Chinese Government were in Hong Kong. That city is the traditional refuge of Chinese who have found China somewhat too hot for them, are waiting to see if it gets so hot they must go on to Europe or America. At present however, it is also the vital point on the diplomatic and military line of supply which the Chinese Government still has with the rest of the world.

If the members of the House of Soong, the most potent in China, huddle for long in Hong Kong it will be certain that a great many jigs are up. Starting from Hankow three weeks ago, the Soongs' relative by marriage, Dr. Sun Fo, son of China's late saint Dr. Sun Yatsen, sped via Hong Kong to Europe, arrived last week at The Hague. There Son Sun called an emergency council of China's chief diplomatic envoys in Europe, including famed Ambassador to France Dr. V. K. Wellington Koo. Observers assumed that Sun was inquiring desperately of China's ablest envoys what assistance, if any, China may expect from the Great Powers. Next scheduled Sun stop: Moscow.

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