NEUTRALITY PACT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 7 April 1945, Page 5

NEUTRALITY PACT

MOSCOW’S DENUNCIATION STAGGERING BLOW TO JAPAN U.S. AND BRITISH PRESS COMMENT London, April 6. M. Molotov’s declaration to Mr Sato, Japanese Ambassador to Moscow, concerning the denunciation of the Neutrality Pact with Japan, surprised nobody in Moscow, least of all the man in the street who has never concealed his feelings towards Japan, says the British United Press correspondent. It is recalled that the Kremlin even in the darkest days of the German advance did not permit Tokio to blackmail Russia into making concessions. It is reported in Moscow that Japan was so anxious to maintain the Neutrality Pact that she offered to nullify the Treaty of Portsmouth, under which Japan received substantial concessions at the end of the war in 1904. The New York “Herald —Tribune,” in an editorial, says the only possible interpretation is that Russia is preparing to enter the war in the Far East in order to hold a strong hand in the postwar settlement of Asia. The denunciation and the resignation of the Japanese Prime Minister. General Koiso, says the “New York Times” in an'editorial, have inflicted a staggering double blow against Japan since they signify the bankruptcy of the war regime and tell the people beyond all prevarication, of propaJM*nda that they have lost the war. RUSSIA TURNS TO EAST Russia’s denunciation means she regards the war in Europe as nearing its end and that she is free to switch her attention to events in the Far East, says the “Daily Mail.” This was the interpretation of diplomats in London when the news was flashed from Moscow. There is a prevailing belief in London that Russia’s action was part of a pre-arranged plan discussed at one of the “Big Three” conferences, possibly at Teheran, but certainly at Crimea. The “Daily Express” diplomatic correspetidetit says diplomats in Lcndon would hot be surprised if Japan throws in her hand soon after Germany’s defeat and the Russians’ denunciation of the Fact may be the last straw. The Mikado, who has never been an enthusiastic supporter of war with the western powers, adds the correspondent, may take strong action to extricate Japan from the greatest danger she has ever faced. The blunt terms of the Russian announcement leave no room for doubt about her reasons or her solidarity with Britain and the United States.

“It sCems something more than coincidence that the resignation of the Japanese Government should so soon precede the Soviet announcement,” says the Press Association diplomatic correspondent, who points out that the Pact had another year to run and Russia had thus given the stipulated year’s notice. Russia’s denunciation will cause great anxiety to Japan because undoubtedly she has "drawn considerable comfort from the fact that she could count on security from the north, despite the fact that Russia still has a number of unsettled scores with Japan. Russia will undoubtedly remember that during the most critical stage of her war With Germany she had to maintain sizeable forces, sometimes totalling a million men, in the east simply because she could not place any trust in Japanese pledges.

Reuter recalls that the first sign of change in ftussian-Japanese relations occurred exactly a year ago when Japan made concessions to Russia in Sakhalin by agreeing to transfer to the Soviet oil and coal concessions in the northern part of the island. It was later reported that Marshal Voroshilov,one of Russia’s senior marshals, was charged with the defence of eastern Siberia. His name from then on significantly disappeared from the news. MAY BE MORTAL BLOW “The denunciation of the pact may prove a mortal blow to Japan,” says the “Daily Mail.” “Many difficulties which occurred in previous meetings with the ‘Big Three’ will be thus resolved. It will no longer be necessary for Mr Churchill and President Roosevent to go into a separate session from Marshal Stalin when the war against Japan is under discussion. The logical sequel is a Russian declaration of war against Japan, unless an earlier Japanese surrender makes this unnecessary. A war with Russia is What the Japanese have been rhost fearing since first struck against Russia’s allies.” “It is posshible that the knowledge of the Russian intention to denounce the pact precipitated the resignation of the Japanese Government, which a series of heavy defeats by land and sea must haye led the Japanese people to expect,” says “The Times.” “The substitution of 77-year-old Admiral Suzuki, who retired from the command of the Japanese Fleet 16 years ago for General Koiso, seems a curious expedient for a country that has suffered a series of disasters.”

The British United Press Paris correspondent says Russia’s denunciation received a warm reception among . the French, who believe Russia will soon be fighting Japan. The French until recently did not bother much about the Far Eastern war, but their attitude changed when the Japanese attacked French forces in Indo-China. Japanese; resources and MANPOWER Japanese resources and manpower are still almost unlimited and almost untapped says the “Daily Telegraph’s” military correspondents. Of possibly 7,000,000 men available for or already in the army there are nearly 2,000,000 in China, about half of them stationed in North China and Manchuria.. The Japanese armies in Manchuria based centrally on Harbin are in a position to strike rapidly against the trans-Sibe-rian railway. GEOGRAPHICAL ADVANTAGE The Japanese plan of .campaign against Russia has been based on making the most of this geographical advantage with the greatest possible .speed, and the Japanese General Staff hds developed the Manchurian railway System accordingly. It has thus long been Russian policy to station a completely self-contained army in the Far East. Moreover, the Russians have built a new railway from Konosomoski in the latitude of Sakhalin running to the northward of the trans-Siberian rail-' way and parallel thereto at a safer distance. .