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Petrouchka, the puppet who came to life, had a counterpart in China last week. After months of adjusting the wires and setting the stage to dangle Puppet-elect Wang Ching-wei before Chinese eyes, the Japanese were dismayed to see him wriggle a bit, stand up on his own legs, and come right out with some shockingly out-of-character statements...
These amazing statements indicated that Wang Ching-wei had begun to feel himself in a strong position to bargain. Powerful factions in Japan want him installed as head of the "Chinese Government" as soon as possible; last week the Foreign Office Spokesman Yakichiro Suma called on Premier Nobuyuki Abe to urge haste. But even Wang Ching-wei does not trust the Japanese, and he has consistently refused to take office except on four conditions: 1) conclusion of a water-tight peace treaty; 2) return to the Chinese of railroads, customs, native-owned factories; 3) partial withdrawal of Japanese troops...
...this had simmered down to a broth of truth, something like this remained: The Japanese were greatly impressed by Ambassador Grew's speech. The Government wanted to do something about it at once. But the Army (which usually prevails) wanted first to install Puppet-elect Wang Ching-wei in China-accomplish the New Order, and then discuss it. Every Ambassador pays a routine call on a new Foreign Minister; hence last week's conversation. The talk was entirely friendly, and there was no threat. But Ambassador Grew again made clear the nature of U. S. complaints...
...Sikh colleague wounded in a Shanghai fracas, polo-playing, hard-working Chairman Cornell S. Franklin of the Shanghai Municipal Council announced that he might ask U. S. Marines to come into the International Settlement and do something the Japanese love to do-restore order. Puppet-elect Wang Ching-wei, popping in and out of his fortified castle in Shanghai's "badlands," announced he was "satisfied that Japan's peace conditions toward China do not infringe on China's sovereignty or territorial rights...
...China was ever to accept peace, he said, it must be peace with honor and without Wang Ching-wei. What peace would be honorable? Not a bayonet peace, not a peace of pillage and plunder, not a Japanese peace. The only peace China would accept would be one based on treaties-especially the Nine-Power treaty (signed in 1922 by the U. S., Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands, Portugal, Japan, China-Wang Chung-hui himself was a negotiator and signer-guaranteeing China's territorial integrity). Japan, said Foreign Minister Wang, is surrounded by jealous nations who frown...