"From My Inner Heart"

A Japanese Cabinet fell fortnight ago because it failed to fulfill its slogan: "End the China Incident." Japanese civilians have begun to feel that the war will never end. They bitterly call it "nobetsu makunashi"--"continuous performance without lowering the curtain."

Last week a new Cabinet was in power, and because it comprised a few comparatively subtle politicians, no slogan was coined, no promise made. But like seasoned troupers, Premier Admiral Mitsumasa Yonai and his assistants ad-libbed while busily contriving how to end the farce and bring down the curtain.

Peace was their desire. It takes two to make an argument, but also takes two to conclude any peace not imposed by over whelming victory. Aside from military and economic near-failure, main impediment to Japan in concluding the war in China has been Japan's own refusal to deal with the only authoritative representative of the Chinese people--Generalissimo Chiang Kaishek. Last week Japan's new Cabinet hit upon an Oriental device to deal with Chiang, yet seem not to.

Wang Ching-wei, prospective head of the "all-the-People" puppet Government of China, a Japanese tool with combined Japanese Army-Government approval freshly stamped on his forehead, sent a wordy telegram to the Generalissimo. He proposed discussions "with a view toward securing nationwide peace on a basis of honor and justice and to facilitate the solution of such problems as the total withdrawal of Japanese troops from China. ... I am sending this message from my inner heart." Terms of the pact: Chinese recognition of Manchukuo; North China and Mongolia to be a "special zone for defense and economic development for Japan"; recognition of Japan's economic predominance in the rich lower Yangtze Valley and in islands off China; Japanese garrisons to be maintained; reduction of Chinese police and Army forces.

The Generalissimo's answer: phooey. The Chinese Government recognized the Japanese accent in Wang's polite phrases, and the semi-official Chungking newspaper Ta Kung Pao retorted: "Even if you can arrange a puppet reign, Wang, can you stand a single blow from our iron fist?"

Well might Chungking gloat. For the first time, a recognized Japanese spokesman had suggested peace to Chiang Kaishek. Japan's Army has always insisted that Chiang had to go before it would even talk about peace. The Navy, arguing that it would be folly to conclude a nominal peace affecting only the occupied areas, has favored going straight to the Generalissimo. Japan's new Premier, Mitsumasa Yonai, is Commander in Chief of the Navy. It looked last week as though some day the right men in Japan might get talking with the right men in China.

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