National Mobilization Bill

Yesterday, the Japanese government passed the National Mobilization Bill which gives the state dictatorial powers in the Japanese economy. The legislation goes into effect on May 5th.

This amounts to the Armed Forces of Japan fleecing the wealthy families of Japan.

His Imperial Majesty's Government, under its bill, proposes to run Japan under a Planning Commission with authority as complete as that of the Soviet Union State Planning Commission, but only "if in time of war it is found necessary." Much of the shouting and desk-banging in the Diet has been in efforts to find out whether His Imperial Majesty's Government considers that Japan today is at war—for Japan has not declared war on any country—and therefore whether or not the National Mobilization Bill would be operative as soon as passed.

Chamberlain declares England may not aid France

UK Prime Minster stated in parliament yesterday that in the event that France and Germany go to war, the United Kingdom would not be bound to come to France's defense. Chamberlain also said the same thing in case of Czechoslovakia. That nation is nervous since it has a population of 3 million Germans living in the Sudetenland.

Poland makes ultimatum to Lithuania

Poland has given out an ultimatum to its eastern neighbor Lithuania to cease hostilities. In addition to this is a request to establish diplomatic relations between the two nations. Historically, Lithuania and Poland have been ruled many times as one country.

Poland has possession of Vilnius, a city of great importance to Lithuania. Lithuania since closed its border with Poland. Relations have now normalized.

Arrests

In the days following the recent Anschluss of Austria by Germany, 70,000 Austrians have been arrested. This includes recently resigned Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg.

Secretary Hull speaks of Foreign Policy

The Secretary of State in an address at Washington, March 17, 1938, declared that the momentous question was whether the doctrine of force would once more become enthroned or whether the United States and other peaceful nations would work unceasingly to preserve law, order, morality, and justice as the bases of civilized international relations.

The Secretary said that the United States might, if it chose, turn its back on the whole problem and decline the responsibility of contributing to its solution. But he warned of what such a choice would involve. It would mean a voluntary abandonment of some of the most important things that had made us great; an abject retreat before the forces which we had consistently opposed throughout our whole national history. Our security would be menaced as other nations came to believe that through fear or unwillingness we did not propose to protect our legitimate interests abroad, but intended to abandon them at the first sign of danger. The sphere of all of our international relations would shrink until we stood practically alone among the nations, "a self-constituted hermit state". We would find it necessary to reorganize our entire social and economic structure, which would mean lower living standards, regimentation, and wide-spread economic distress.

All this, the Secretary said, would be done in order to avoid war. But, he asked, would this policy give any such assurance? He believed that reason and experience definitely pointed to the contrary. We might seek to withdraw from participation in world affairs, "but we cannot thereby withdraw from the world itself". Isolation, he declared, "is not a means to security; it is a fruitful source of insecurity".

Secretary Hull emphasized that for the sake of our own best interests we must maintain our influence in world affairs and our participation in efforts toward world progress and peace. Only by making our reasonable contribution to a firm establishment of a world order based on law "can we keep the problem of our own security in true perspective, and thus discharge our responsibility to ourselves".

Chamberlain speaks

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Neville Chamberlain, finally spoke on recent events in Austria. His remarks were voiced in the House of Commons. He said:

His Majesty's Government have throughout been in the closest touch with the situation. The Foreign Secretary saw the German Foreign Minister on the 10th of March and addressed to him a grave warning on the Austrian situation and upon what appeared to be the policy of the German Government in regard to it.... Late on the 11th of March our Ambassador in Berlin registered a protest in strong terms with the German Government against such use of coercion, backed by force, against an independent State in order to create a situation incompatible with its national independence.

Later he concluded:

I imagine that according to the temperament of the individual the events which are in our minds to-day will be the cause of regret, of sorrow, perhaps of indignation. They cannot be regarded by His Majesty's Government with indifference or equanimity. They are bound to have effects which cannot yet be measured. The immediate result must be to intensify the sense of uncertainty and insecurity in Europe. Unfortunately, while the policy of appeasement would lead to a relaxation of the economic pressure under which many countries are suffering to-day, what has just occurred must inevitably retard economic recovery and, indeed, increased care will be required to ensure that marked deterioration does not set in. This is not a moment for hasty decisions or for careless words. We must consider the new situation quickly, but with cool judgement... As regards our defence programmes, we have always made it clear that they were flexible and that they would have to be reviewed from time to time in the light of any development in the international situation. It would be idle to pretend that recent events do not constitute a change of the kind that we had in mind. Accordingly we have decided to make a fresh review, and in due course we shall announce what further steps we may think it necessary to take.

One may think that the Prime Minister is reading the Treaty of Versailles very liberally. Chamberlain has made reassurances toward the Czechs that Britain would not let Germany make the same steps there. Czechoslovakia has been nervous since Anshluss.

Arthur Seyss-Inquart passed legislature yesterday that reduced Austria to the Ostmark, or Eastern Mark. As of the 14th, he is no longer the Chancellor of Austria. He now has a new title that of Reichsstatthalter.

Hitler enters Austria

Hitler entered Austria at Branau Yesterday afternoon. He proceeded to arrive at the town of Linz on his way to Vienna. He was greeted by cheers at the city hall in Linz.

In response to the recent Anschluss, Robert Kauer, current President of the minority Lutheran Church in Austria, thanked Hitler. He called Hitler the "saviour of the 350,000 German Protestants in Austria and liberator from a five-year hardship".

The Vatican Newspaper blasted the Austrian bishops and declared "The solemn declaration of the Austrian bishops ... was clearly not intended to be an approval of something that was not and is not compatible with God's law". The Vatican is maintaining a position that the bishops acted without any instruction from the Holy See.

Blumenkrieg

The Austrian Legislature has voted to give the measure full affect today.

Reports that Germany's 8th Army of the Wehrmacht had no need to fire a single bullet have been confirmed. Austrians have generally celebrated the arrival of the German Army. It is being hailed as the Blumenkreig, or, the War of Flowers.

The representatives of the Holy See in Austria have had a more difficult time with this upheaval. Yesterday, March 12th, Cardinal Innitzer said "The Viennese Catholics should thank the Lord for the bloodless way this great political change has occurred, and they should pray for a great future for Austria. Needless to say, everyone should obey the orders of the new institutions." Many other Austrian bishops followed suit.

Vatican Radio was quick to respond with Cardinal Pacelli, the Vatican Secretary of State, commanded Innitzer report to Rome immediately. Reports have it that he may have to sign a statement retracting his previous statement. If so, the other bishops will have to no doubt, do the same.

So far, response from France and Great Britain has been moderate. Both France and Great Britain have filed protests against Germany's actions. These are little more than formalities. France has ignored many of Hitler's violations of the Treaty of Versailles. He has thus far exceeded the quota of 100 planes established in the treaty. A zone extending 50 km east of the Rhine River was specified in the Treaty to be demilitarized. There are to be no installations on this side of the river. On the western side of the same river, Allied troops were to remain in a zone for 15 years. Hitler has moved 3 battalions into this Demilitarized Zone in 1936.

In the United States, an article in the New York Times likened this event to Scotland and England joining centuries before.

Incident at Trasninkai, Lithuania

In the early morning hours of Friday March 11 on the demarcation line in the village of Trasninkai near Merkinė, Lithuanian border police officer Justas Lukoševičius was on a routine patrol when he heard two, then three shots. He informed his superior officer, Vaitkus, who in turn instructed Lukoševičius to investigate the matter. Upon returning to the scene, he spotted a Polish soldier running in the bushes, apparently in the direction of Polish territory. Lukoševičius called for him to halt. Instead, the Pole fired one round in his direction from the bushes. Lukoševičius returned the fire with four rounds. Six rounds were subsequently fired at Lithuanian police officers who had gathered at the scene.

A search uncovered Stanislaw Serafin, a recent recruit to the Korpus Ochrony Pogranicza (KOP - Border Defense Corps), who was lying in the bushes mortally wounded. He was brought to Trasninkai where he died later that morning.

Anschluss

Today, Austria united with Germany. Adolf Hitler desired having all German speaking peoples united in one Germany. The last time this was fact was in 1806 under the Holy Roman Empire.

The turn of events started as far back as February. On the 12th of that month, German Chancellor Hitler met with Kurt Schuschnigg, the Chancellor of Austria, in Berchtesgaden. That's Bavaria to you and me. At this meeting, the German Chancellor demanded that Austria allow full freedom for political parties and release all political prisoners, notably the Nazi ones.

Mr. Schuschnigg complied with these demands and even appointed Arthur Seyss-Inquart as Interior Minister and Edmund Glaise-Horstenau as Minister without portfolio. Both men are Nazis.

After the release of political prisoners who've not known freedom for four long years after Austria's own civil war, the Communists sided with the Austrian government. The Socialists demanded more concessions from the government before offering any support.

Schuschnigg decided to put the vote on Austrian independence to a vote. On March 9th, he set the minimum voting age at 24. The youth of the Alpine nation have been inflamed with Nazi ideology. For this referendum to pass, Schuschnigg could not have Nazi sympathizers participating.

Germany didn't take this lying down. The Ministry of Propaganda issued reports that riots were occurring in Austria and the Austrians were pleading for Germany to come in and restore order. These were false.

Hitler demanded that control of the country be handed over to the National Socialist Party by noon on the 11th. He extended the demand two hours. It mattered little. Nazis were quick to take over Vienna.

The Chancellor resigned in the evening hours of the 11th at around 7:30 PM. He told his people and the world by radio that he had to this to avoid bloodshed.

The President of Austria, Wilhelm Miklas, though, refuses to recognize Seyss-Inquart as the new Chancellor. As long as he did this, Seyss-Inquart was unable to send a telegram under the government for German troops to enter Austria.

After much frustration, Hitler and Hermann Göring, who was waiting with his troops at the border, decided to forge a telegram, at about 10 PM, allowing them to invade Austria. At midnight, after many of the government officials had been arrested and many places in Vienna were in Nazi control, Miklas conceded and decided to appoint Seyss-Inquart as Chancellor.

The German army has slipped across the border without any resistance. There have been reports that the German soldiers have been welcomed with salutes and flowers.

Japanese Yellow River Campaign

After marching from Qingdao (Tsingtao, 青島), Japanese forces finally reached the Huang (Yellow) River. Mobile Chinese forces limited Japanese control to the railway zone.

The Japanese forces have had to contend with Chinese guerillas. These guerillas have so far been underestimated.