Chapter 42 Four "Report of the League of Nations Investigation Team"

In May 1932, the League of Nations investigation team came to the Northeast.In October, an investigation report on the so-called Manchuria issue was published.Zheng and his son had great illusions about this investigation team. When the report was released, they simply thought that the realization of the ideal of international co-management was just around the corner.His father and son later fell out of favor with the Japanese and were finally abandoned, which had a lot to do with this enthusiasm for co-management.I didn't think as much as they thought at the time, and I wasn't as excited as they were, but I learned a lot about international affairs from their discussions.I also feel differently from them.They had the illusion of condominium because of the attitude of the investigation team, but I had a strong feeling about Japan from this.Because of this feeling, I feel more and more that my destiny cannot be separated from it.

Regarding the attitude of the western powers on the Manchuria incident, I have long heard Zheng and his sons say this kind of thing repeatedly: Despite the lively meetings in Geneva and Paris (League of Nations), in fact, no country intends to touch Japan. After the war, it was the United States that had strength, but even the United States did not want to fight Japan.Zheng Chui, who is proficient in English and Japanese, told me the public opinion in foreign newspapers from time to time, saying that many newspapers in the United States are pro-Japanese.He once said some non-public information based on evidence, such as the United States and Japan had a secret agreement, the United States has understanding of Japan's actions in the Northeast, and so on.He also told me in detail that long before the incident, important figures in the United States had persuaded Chiang Kai-shek to sell Manchuria to Japan and let Japan touch the Soviet Union in order to reap its benefits [1].

The investigative team is coming, Zheng Xiaoxu told me that the Kuomintang invited them to investigate and wanted to ask them to help deal with Japan, but in fact they are not dealing with Japan.One of their concerns is opening the door and equal opportunities, and the other is dealing with Red Russia.This is what they were talking about with Uchida Yasuya (who was now the foreign minister of Japan) in Tokyo.Don't worry, just deal with a few words when the time comes.In Yichen's view, the Kuomintang also knew that the investigation team could do nothing. Maybe the Kuomintang saw the benefits of the international co-management of Manchuria.

It turned out later that most of what Zheng and his son said was correct. After the Shenyang Incident, Chiang Kai-shek repeatedly telegraphed Zhang Xueliang to transfer to the Northeast Garrison: In order to avoid the expansion of the incident, he would absolutely not resist.Four days later, on September 22, Chiang declared at the Kuomintang Party Congress in Nanjing: "Facing power with justice and barbarism with peace, endure humiliation and anger, and take an attitude of resignation for the time being, pending the judgment of international justice."At the same time, there is no peace and justice at home, and the most brutal methods are used to intensify the civil war.On September 30, the Kuomintang asked the League of Nations to send a neutral committee to Manchuria to investigate.After several discussions, it was not until December 10 that Japan agreed to make a decision to organize an investigation team.The investigative team is composed of members from five countries, namely Sir Lytton of the United Kingdom and Frank Ross of the United States.Major General McCaw Yi, Henry of France.Lieutenant General Claude, Count Gedi in Italy and Dr. Enriquesini in Germany.The leader is Li Tun.The investigation team set off on February 3, 1932, and first visited Japan, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hankou, Jiujiang, Yichang, Chongqing and other places, and then stayed in Peiping for ten days. It's month.During this period, the Nanjing government advocated waiting for the judgment of justice, while the Japanese army captured Jinzhou, launched the Songhu War, and established Manchukuo.In addition to these waiting results, there is also a "Songhu Armistice Agreement" that was produced under the intervention of various countries.According to this agreement, the troops of the Nanjing government were no longer allowed to enter the Songhu area.

On May 3rd, my meeting with the investigation team took about a quarter of an hour.They asked me two questions: How did I get to the Northeast?How was Manchukuo established?Before answering their question, a thought flashed through my mind that they probably never dreamed of.I remembered that Johnston once told me that the door of London is open for me. If I tell Lytton now that I was tricked by Doihara and threatened by Itagaki to become the head of Manchukuo, I will ask them Will they take me to London?As soon as this thought crossed my mind, I remembered that there were Kwantung Army Chief of Staff Hashimoto Toranosuke and Kosan Itagaki Seishiro sitting beside me.I couldn't help but glanced at the pale face, and then honestly said according to his pre-command: I came to Manchuria because of the support of the people in Manchuria, and my country is completely voluntary.

The members of the investigation team smiled and nodded together, and did not ask any more questions.Then we took pictures together, drank champagne, and congratulated each other on our health.After the investigation team left, Itagaki's pale face was full of smiles, and he said full of praise: Your Excellency in power has a very good demeanor, and your speech is very loud!Zheng Xiaoxu shook his bald head afterwards and said: These Westerners have also met with me, and what I talked about was equal opportunities and foreign rights and interests, which was not what I expected. In October of this year, an article by Komai was published in the Japanese "Chuo Koron". Not long after Zheng Chui sent the translation, the "Report of the Investigation Team" also arrived in my hands. These two things gave me a unified view. Impression, just as Zheng and his son judged, the investigation team is concerned about opportunities and family issues.

Komai's article is titled "Manchukuo is Proclaimed to the World", and the content is about his meeting with Lytton and others.Now Zheng Chui's translation is no longer available, and we can only rely on an unsophisticated translation from "Manchurian Puppet Kingdom" compiled and printed by Chen Binhe.According to the article, Litton was the first to ask him a question: Isn't the construction of Manchukuo too early?He answered a whole set of ghost truths that were not too early, but too late, and then Second, General McCoy asked: Manchukuo preached the open door, did it really work?I immediately replied: Opening the door and equal opportunities are the iron rules of the founding of Manchuria.The open door policy, among the countries surrounding China in the past, the United States was the first to speak of the spirit.But this socialist policy is advocated by other countries, and China itself embraces closed-doorism. Where can we see the fact that the door is open in China?Now that we have opened the door of Manchukuo with a very strong key, we can only be thanked by the lords, and there is no reason to be protested.However, I have to add a statement that the door must never be open to the cause of national defense, even in all countries in the world.

Li Tun asked again: Does Manchukuo implement equal opportunities? I said without hesitation: equal opportunities, your country has its precedent in China, that is, in the late Qing Dynasty, when China's internal affairs were extremely corrupt and almost completely lost unity, Luo Futuo.Hart suggested to the Qing court that if things go on like this, China will completely lose its role in the international arena, and it is better to rely on Westerners. Customs administration also needs to be determined.So the Qing Dynasty immediately appointed Luo Futuo.Hurd is the general tax department, and the customs administration can be established.Since many people from Britain, France, and Japan are used in the customs, it is considered the most reliable administrative agency in China. Therefore, the foreign powers borrowed money from China, and China had to make up for it financially.The British once used customs as a place of equal opportunity, but we Japanese, if we want to be clerks in this customs, we have to undergo strict English tests that amount to rejection.

Our Manchukuo is a country jointly built by the Manchurians and the Japanese, so the official documents of the new country are published in Manchurian and Japanese.Therefore, any Chinese who can fully use the languages ​​of Manchukuo and Japan, and can be satisfied with the treatment given by Manchukuo, should be greatly welcomed by us.This is what I call equal opportunity. I continued to ask: Do you guys have any other questions? Everyone around said: There is no need to ask any more questions. We have fully understood the position of Manchukuo, so happy! When the investigative committee of the League of Nations left Xinjing, I sent it to the station. At that time, Li Tun shook my hand and said in a low voice: I wish the new Manchukuo a healthy and prosperous state!At the same time, they shook hands vigorously and parted.

This conversation made Zheng Xiaoxu and his son feel very excited. Zheng Chui even estimated that the League of Nations might make a resolution on the international co-management of Manchuria.Later, the report of the investigation team was released, which made Zheng and his son more confident.The League of Nations represented in the report of the investigative team appeared exactly in the attitude of a Chinese administrator that the Chengs hoped for.The report clearly stated: The current extreme international conflicts have already caused China to ask the League of Nations to intervene again.Following the path of international cooperation, China should be able to achieve the most certain and rapid progress in order to achieve its national ideals.The manager made it clear: Japan demands the establishment of a solid regime capable of maintaining order in order to seek the economic development of Manchuria. We do not consider this demand unreasonable.However, the manager believes that the most important thing is that only in an atmosphere of faith outside and peace inside, which is completely different from the current situation in the Far East, can the investment necessary for the rapid economic development of Manchuria be able to flow.That is to say, there must be the kind of faith recognized by the great powers and countries. This is the situation that Zheng and his sons yearn for to be jointly managed by all countries and benefit equally.

The Zheng father and son's estimation on the anti-Soviet issue has also been confirmed.The mission stated that it understood the meaning of Japan's claim to Manchuria as its lifeline, and sympathized with Japan's concerns about its own security. Therefore, Japan's desire to prevent Manchuria from being used as a base for attacks against Japan and, in some cases, as a frontier for Manchuria We can all admit that Japan has the ability to take appropriate military action when being rushed by foreign troops.However, the investigation team also believes that Japan’s financial burden will be huge if this method is adopted. In addition, the Japanese army was surrounded by people who were hostile at the time, and then there was hostile China. Whether the Japanese army can avoid major difficulties is also very difficult Word.Therefore, another method can be considered, and it may even be better for Japan to obtain security at no cost due to the sympathy and goodwill of the world, rather than the current one that can be obtained at a huge price.The investigation team then put forward the opinion that the solution of the problem, the restoration of the original status quo and the maintenance of the status quo are not satisfactory methods, and that as long as a satisfactory organization can be produced from the current (Manchukuo) organization without extreme changes, this is the way to achieve the goal. In Manchuria, which has a high degree of autonomy, foreigners from various countries act as advisors to this self-government; since the Japanese have greater rights and interests in the Northeast, the proportion of Japanese is also greater, but other foreign countries must also have a certain proportion.In order to realize this new political system, to discuss and propose a special system to govern the three eastern provinces, an advisory committee composed of both China and Japan and neutral observers must first be established, with the Executive Yuan of the League of Nations holding the highest decision-making power.The investigation team also believes that the method of international cooperation is suitable not only for Manchuria, but also for the whole of China.The reason for this is also stated repeatedly by Zheng and his sons. It is because China only has labor force, and capital, technology, and talents all depend on foreigners, otherwise it cannot be built. In the few days when I first read the report, Zheng Xiaoxu told me with great interest that things were very promising, saying that Hu Shi also published a paper in Guanzhong, and praised the report as the public opinion of the world.But then the reaction from the Japanese side arrived, and his father and son were greatly downcast.Although the investigation team repeatedly talked about respecting Japan's rights and interests in Manchuria, and even described the September 18th Incident as an act of self-defense by Japan, the spokesperson of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs only agreed with one point: It can be applied to the relationship between China and the big powers to gain benefits, such as those who formulate international co-management plans, yes!As for the co-management plan for Manchuria itself, it was completely ignored.Zheng Xiaoxu's subsequent fall from favor and abandonment was due to his enthusiasm for opening doors and equal opportunities. Before the report of the League of Nations investigation team was published, I had imagined that if Northeast China was really brought under the international condominium as Zheng and his son hoped, my situation might be much better than that under the Japanese monopoly situation.However, I still have two different considerations. One is that I am afraid that the Nanjing government will also have a share in the co-management. If you become an emperor, if you create an autonomous government, what kind of monarchy is there?More importantly, I am extremely impressed by the fact that Japan's brutality is not subject to any restraint in the international arena.Therefore, afterwards, when I remembered the thought that flashed through my mind when the investigation team met, I couldn't help thinking to myself: Fortunately, I didn't do it stupidly, otherwise my life would have ended early.The most important thing now is not to offend the Japanese. If you want to regain the great treasure, you have to rely on the Japanese! [1] In fact, Zheng and his son, who like to brag, did not lie.In the "Oriental Magazine" at that time, you can find translations of the pro-Japanese remarks in newspapers such as the "New York Tribune" and "New York Daily News".For example, the former has the following words: Japanese military actions are an inevitable response to China's policy of abolishing unequal treaties; the latter: Japan inherited Russia's development of Manchuria. As for today, its great achievements are recognized by the world.The resolution of the League of Nations to send an investigative team was indeed opposed by the United States on the grounds that such an action would be enough to stimulate the sentiments of the Japanese people. Hall publicly stated that he did not second this.The records of these facts can be seen from many newspapers and periodicals at that time.Later, the U.S. State Department published some secret documents. Among them, the book "U.S. Diplomatic Documents in 1931" published a copy of the document handed over by the U.S. ambassador to Japan, Forbes, to Japanese Foreign Minister Hashihara on November 27 of that year. Jue Shu revealed that the U.S. government had persuaded the Chinese government to take compromise steps.As for the secret negotiations between Japan and the United States on the Northeast issue, it was reported in the December 1935 issue of "International Affairs" (International Affairs, 1935 Dec.).Wright's article "American View of the Far Eastern Problem" (Q. Wright: American View of the Far Eastern Problem) revealed it.author