Mongol Mystery

From Moscow, triumphant over the Sakhalin slap at Japan, last week came a slap at China.

Said Moscow's official Tass: late last year, Chinese authorities in Sinkiang began to move south "large numbers" of Kazaks living close to Russia's border in the north. "In search of refuge from persecution," some Kazaks fled to the Soviet-sponsored Mongolian People's Republic. Pursuing Chinese aircraft flew across the Mongol border, fired on the refugees and Mongol towns, clashed with Mongol troops.* Warned Tass: if such acts recur, Mongolian officials "are firmly convinced" that the Soviet Government will render the Republic "every necessary help and support."

Moscow's sudden interest in an obscure, months-old, uncheckable "incident" involving a violent, bit-shy tribe was obviously intended to impress China, give Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek a warning jolt. But why? One guess: it may be Russia's way of telling China that the pattern of reintegration of Sinkiang with China is not to be applied to Outer Mongolia. Another guess: it may be related to some new heightening of tension between Chiang Kai-shek and China's Communists. A third guess: it may be Moscow's answer to Chungking's grumbling over the Soviet Union-Japanese accord on Sakhalin.

This much was certain: with its new toughness toward Japan and its crack at Chungking, Soviet Russia was serving notice that it must be reckoned with in Asia and the Pacific.

*Both Sinkiang and Outer Mongolia are undeveloped, underpeopled border regions, nominally Chinese but longer under Russian influence. Last year the Russians began to withdraw from Sinkiang, turn full control back to the Chinese (TIME, Oct. 25). Outer Mongolia still has a Soviet regime, a ban on foreign visitors, an eight-year-old pact of mutual assistance with Russia.

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