Word: backdown
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Dates: during 1940-1949
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...some observers took the Red peace feelers, together with the Soviet backdown at Berlin, as a symptom of a general Red retrenchment in Europe, supposedly designed to free the Reds for allout action in Asia. Porphyrogenis himself seemed to support this view. "The atmosphere of appeasement," he said, "that has developed in recent weeks on the European scene makes peace [in Greece] seem possible...
When U.S. editorialists fell all over themselves celebrating "the Russian backdown," there was a chance that the U.S. public might be misled into thinking that the Iranian issue had been settled once & tor all. In sober fact, Russia had probably never intended an indefinite military occupation of northern Iran. What she had always wanted was 1) a Government in Teheran amenable to Russian demands, and 2) access to Iranian oil. In the Russo-Iranian treaty Gavam had indicated a high decree of amenability...
...French Backdown. At week's end the French yielded to pressure. Delegate General Jean Helleu (who had arrested the Lebanese officials) was invited to return to Algiers "for consultation"-i.e., to become the goat. President Khoury was ordered released and reinstated. Ardent nationalist Premier Solh was freed, but nothing was said about reinstating him. Negotiations were to be opened at once to restore "constitutional life in Lebanon." After that, broader negotiations would be held in Damascus for the "harmonizing of the French Mandate with the regime of independence promised by France to the States of the Levant [Syria...
...Sorry, Impossible. It would take a whopping Japanese backdown, all wrapped up and delivered, to rouse any U.S. interest in a deal which might turn out to be raw. Where could the Japanese back down? Certainly not from Indo-China. The occupation of French Indo-China was the only big Japanese success in nearly two years and was immensely popular in Japan. Last week the Japanese were busy entrenching themselves in their new conquests. The Foreign Office named sage, sharp-faced, experienced Kenkichi Yoshi-zawa Special Ambassador-at-Large (i.e., Gauleiter} to Hanoi. Said he, of Japan and Indo...
Lost Face. Japan was not long in getting reactions from this backdown. She had not only lost face diplomatically, but she had lost the military initiative. In Singapore thousands of Australian troops landed after a 3,000-mile trip. They sang Roll Out the Barrel, tossed pennies down on British dignitaries waiting to welcome them, cockily announced that they were "all set and fighting fit," then set out for northern Malaya. U. S.-made bombing planes reinforced the British Air Force at Singapore. New U. S. fighting planes were sent to the U. S. Fleet in Hawaii...