QUARREL IN THE EAST

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22135, 3 July 1937, Page 15

QUARREL IN THE EAST

Soviet and Japan

CONFERENCES IN Lt MOSCOW

BI'SSIAX OCCUPATION OF ISLANDS

Lb, «M» XBSOCIATIOS-fOPTBIOHT.)

(Rec eived July 3, 12.45 a.m.)

MOSCOW. July 2. inferences all day between Rus- ,„ and Japanese representatives, th some heated exchanges, retted in the issue of a commumque loSin g that M. Maxim Litvinov Let Commissar for Foreign Aflirs) while reiterating the Soviet's rotest against the bombardment of ussian gunboats, is reserving the jht to claim compensation. M Litvinov offered to withdraw , e Soviet troops from the disputed jnur islets if Japan and ManlUkuo act similarly. The prevalent opinion in Tokyo is , a t the Amur clash will not lead to , x it is believed that the Soviet reated the affair to divert the at■ntion of the public and the Red jmy from the recent internal upeavals and, moreover, to impress 1E Japanese. The Red Army, nevertheless, is ill ready for business.

Early in the week it was reported iat Manchukuo had made repressions against the occupation by ,e Soviet of the Amur islets. It as believed that the Manchukuo mbassador demanded the immedi;e withdrawal of the Russian irces, The Japanese press hinted iat the protest might be a means I testing whether the Soviet's conience in the Far Eastern army relained unimpaired.

[The Amur islets are in and about mur Bay, on which Vladivostok. jviet naval base and terminus of the ans-Siberian railway, is situated.]