News of the Week
THE Japanese are pursuing their characteristic strategy at Geneva to the end. Though the resolution drafted by the Committee of Nineteen had been before them for a month they informed the Com- mittee on its reassembling last Monday that their observations on it would not be ready till Wednesday. When the observations did arrive they turned out to consist of a series of proposals completely incompatible• with the original resolution, and there can be little question that the issue is at last forced to a crisis. Even Sir John Simon seems to be conscious of that. The Committee on Wednesday acted wisely in dealing first with the question of whether the United States and Soviet Russia should be invited to join it. While the collaboration of those States is most necessary on broad grounds Japan can undoubtedly adduce juridical reasons of some weight for her opposition to the proposal, and it is sound tactics for the Committee to put the plain question whether if this proposal is dropped Japan will accept the rest of the resolution. All the evidence is that she will not, particularly that part of it which involves, in language however veiled, a declaration of the non-recognition of Manchukuo. That is and has always been the essential point, and it is highly significant that the President-Elect of the United-States has chosen this particular moment to reaffirm the Stimson doctrine of a year ago regarding the non-recognition of situations brought about in breach of international agreements.
