Pearl Harbor: The Seeds and Fruits of Infamy - Ludwig von Mises ...

U.S. International Policy: 1933–1940 7
support of the American people.” 2 Th e League of Nations investigated
the “Manchurian incident” and issued a report blaming
Japan. Japan and Britain disagreed with the League’s report.
However, it was accepted and in 1933 Japan withdrew from the
League.
After the death in 1925 of Sun Yat-sen, revolutionary leader
and president of the Southern Chinese Republic, Chiang Kaishek
assumed the presidency. Chiang began trying to unite the
country. Th e communists intervened, sometimes for, sometimes
against, Chiang’s nationalist forces. Th ere was almost constant
fi ghting by and among Chiang’s nationalists, the warlords, the
Chinese communists and the Russian communists. When the
Chinese boycotted Japanese textiles, the Japanese retaliated by
bombarding and sending troops to the Shanghai International
Settlement ( January 28–March 4, 1932). Many were killed. U.S.
sympathy was with the Chinese; the Japanese were portrayed as
the aggressors. After fi erce fi ghting, the Japanese retreated temporarily,
and the boycott was brought to an end. Another time
when Chiang Kai-shek’s nationalist forces threatened Japan’s
economic and industrial interests in Manchuria, Japan called
up 5,000 troops to protect her merchants there. Th e Russian
Communists and the Chinese Communists were both heavily
involved. Finally, after communist leader Mao Tse-tung told
Chiang that if he stopped fi ghting the Red Army the Chinese
Soviet government would help Chiang against Japan, Chiang
fi nally agreed. Th e Kuomintang-Communist agreement ( July 5,
1937) called for the nationalists and communists to cooperate in
driving the Japanese out of Peking and the rest of North China.
Peace prevailed there for a time. But not for long.
2 Henry L. Stimson and McGeorge Bundy, On Active Service in Peace and War
(New York: Harper & Brothers, 1947/1948), p. 233.