Manchuria an Empty Shell

Manawatu Times, Volume 70, Issue 281, 28 November 1945, Page 7

Manchuria an Empty Shell

Industrial Potential Stripped by Russians

(By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright.) Received Tuesday, 10.50 p.m. NEW YORK, Nov. 27.

Manchuria, for which the Chinese Nationalists and the Communists are fighting, is an empty shell, whose vast industrial potential has been stripped by the Red Army on the direct orders of Stalin. This statement was made by a North American newspaper, Alliance, correspondent on his return to the United States after 18 months in China and Inner Mongolia. A fortnight after the signing of the Chinese-Soviet treaty tlie Russians reduced Manchuria to such an extent that virtually no heavy machinery was now left. From August 23 to October 20 the Russians looted in Mukden alone an average of 500 carloads daily c.f heavy machinery, machine tools, lathes, grinders and other factory equipment. They took eight huge dynamos from Kirin and hundreds of turbines and generators from power plants in every major city. They plundered every factory, irrespective of ownership, and pent- complete movable units to Russia. Over 200 experts, flown from Moscow, supervised the dismantling. American intelligence officers obtained the information before being expelled by the Russians. A Chungking message says that Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, addressing the Supreme Economic Council, defined his attitude to the Communists. ‘ ‘ Some people have placed partisan and personal interests above the national interests and have gone so far as to interfere violently with the Government’s efforts to establish order in the liberated areas, ’ ’ he said. * 4 The Government is acting to correct this condition and will spare no effort to bring internal order and security to the nation.”