Chapter 35 34. The bright and dark side of Soviet policy

When discussing the September 18th Incident, "Pravda" on September 25 had the following editorial: Only one force can put an end to the imperialist rape of Northeast China - and that is the victory of the Chinese workers' and peasants' revolution under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party. …While Japanese imperialism is trying to suppress the Chinese people, workers all over the world are rising to defend the Chinese revolution.The working people of the Soviet Union took the struggle in China very seriously, and their sympathy was on the side of the Chinese people.

The editorial affirmed the revolutionary struggle of the Chinese workers and peasants in a very high tone, believing that it was the only powerful force that could defeat Japanese imperialism, and fully demonstrated that the Soviet people paid sympathetic attention to the struggle of the Chinese people against Japanese aggression.If the tone is high, it is high, but it cannot avoid the feeling of being out of bounds.This editorial is quite similar to the declaration issued by the Provisional Central Committee of the Communist Party of China in Shanghai on September 20: the direction is correct and the banner is clear, but the analysis and judgment of the situation did not hit the point, so it is not very realistic.But no matter how you say it, this editorial after all shows solemn support for the Chinese people's anti-Japanese struggle.

As the organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, "Pravda" has expressed its support for the Chinese people more than once after the incident.As early as September 21, it severely condemned Japan's brutal aggression against China, and bitterly satirized the connivance of imperialist countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States, saying: "The actions of the countries that initiated the non-war treaty against Japanese imperialism have nothing to say. Oppose, so for their own work, it is tantamount to scornful, what is the value of the League of Nations as a peace tool." On October 29, "Pravda" commented on the two conversations made by Japanese Prime Minister Wakarejiro to American reporters: "If you want to American journalists talked, pointing out that the Manchuria incident was triggered by China’s aggression against Japan, and complained that China’s economic restraint against Japan was intended to cover up the current situation, as if China was the initiator of the occupation of Manchuria. The world’s labor circles They all witnessed that the Japanese imperialists plundered China without shame." On November 5, "Pravda" further revealed: "The reason why Japan wants to seize Manchuria is to gain hegemony in the Pacific Ocean." After the incident happened , The Soviet people also held many rallies and demonstrations to protest Japan's aggression against China.

Consistent with public opinion, the Soviet government has repeatedly condemned Japan's aggression against China and expressed its support for China through public diplomatic occasions. On September 23, the People's Committee for Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union sent a telegram to the Chinese government saying: "The expansion of the Japanese army's actions in the three northeastern provinces was beyond the expectations of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union is very sympathetic to China." He issued a statement stating that "the Soviet Union fully sympathizes with China morally, spiritually, and emotionally, and is willing to provide all necessary assistance." It is completely incompatible with international aggression, and the Soviet Union will never allow cooperation with imperialists to harm the interests of other countries, and the Soviet people hope that China will use its enormous power to sanction Japan's conspiracy in Manchuria and Mongolia." When the Japanese army occupied many important towns in Liaoning and Jilin, and continued to expand its aggression northward along the Middle East Road, the Soviet government lodged a strong protest to Japanese Ambassador to the Soviet Union Koki Hirota on September 23, stating that "when Japan invaded the rights of the Middle East Road, the Soviet Union was It is necessary to take preventive measures within the scope of the situation.” Although this warning was obviously more out of consideration for the privileges of the Middle East Road, objectively, it blocked the Japanese army’s northward movement along the Middle East Road.

The attitude of the Soviet government was even more prominent and sharp amidst the flickering and even conniving attitudes of Western countries. It was an important moral support for China, which was isolated and helpless at that time. But the attitude of the Soviet newspapers, especially the government's statements, always seemed to have something to say.Its newspapers rarely mentioned the actual damage caused by Japan’s invasion of China to the point, but always emphasized the support of the working people all over the world for the Chinese people, always emphasized that the Soviet Union was an advocate of world peace, and always inadvertently or intentionally Full of empty high notes.In the Soviet government's statement, the most heard is "sympathy" and "moral support" for China, but in the end, it is still hoped that the Chinese people will rely on their "huge" strength to defeat Japanese imperialism.

While blatantly condemning Japan and supporting China, there is indeed a "dark" side to the Soviet Union's policies - the "dark" mentioned here does not mean completely "dark", because many of its contents are the Soviet Union's policy. Officially stated on formal or public occasions; the reason why it is called "dark" is that it is a more substantive thing in the Soviet policy, and this thing is something that the Soviet government is reluctant to make so loudly and say so white. After the September 18th Incident, the Soviet Union adopted a de facto neutral position. On October 28, the Soviet Union officially stated to the Japanese ambassador to the Soviet Union Koki Hirota that the Soviet Union adopted a solemn non-interference stance on the Manchurian Incident.On the anniversary of the October Revolution 10 days later, Molotov, Chairman of the People's Committee of the Soviet Union, publicly reiterated the above position in his speech.The clearest expression of the Soviet Union’s position on its “solemn neutrality” appeared on November 2, when the Soviet People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs reiterated the Soviet Union’s position to Koki Hirota:

The Soviet Government has consistently and strictly followed a policy of peace and harmony in all its relations with other countries.It believes that maintaining and strengthening existing relations with Japan is of great significance.It strictly adheres to a policy of non-interference in conflicts between nations.The Soviet government hopes that the Japanese government will also maintain the existing relations between the two countries and will consider in all its activities and decisions against the interests of the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union said so, and it did so. At the end of December 1931, when Litvinov met with Yoshizawa Kenkichi, who was returning to China via Moscow, who was about to serve as the foreign minister of the new cabinet, the Inukai Takeshi Cabinet, he proposed the conclusion of a Soviet-Japanese non-aggression pact.This is easily reminiscent of the Soviet-German non-aggression pact signed by the Soviet Union and Germany on the eve of the outbreak of World War II. At the beginning of 1932, the Soviet Union repeatedly hinted to Japan that it intended to transfer the Middle East Railway.After the establishment of the Puppet Manchukuo, the Soviet Union even secretly communicated with Japan, revealing that if Japan agreed to conclude a non-aggression pact, in return the Soviet Union was prepared to recognize the Puppet Manchukuo.As for the Puppet Manchukuo, even the League of Nations did not recognize it.In order to strictly maintain its neutral position, the Soviet Union did not allow weapons purchased by China from European countries to pass through the Soviet Union.

The dark side of Soviet policy has weakened the support for China from the bright side of its policy to a certain extent.To say that the Soviet Union gave the greatest support to Northeast China’s Anti-Japanese War, it must be considered that when the Northeast Anti-Japanese Allied Forces were forced to retreat into the Soviet Union in 1932 due to extreme difficulties, the Soviet Union not only rejected Japan’s request for “extradition”, but also warmly received the anti-Japanese heroes in Northeast China .However, that's another story. The Soviet Union was a socialist country. Out of its ideological considerations, it certainly expressed sympathy and support for the weak nations and countries in the world at that time, especially when they were bullied and invaded by imperialist powers.However, the more decisive factor in Soviet foreign policy was the national interests of the Soviet Union.

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the socialist Soviet Union has been surrounded by capitalist countries. Therefore, the Soviet Union attached great importance to the relationship with China, a big country adjacent to itself, at the beginning.Since Sun Yat-sen promulgated the New Three People's Principles of uniting Russia, uniting the Communist Party, and supporting workers and peasants, the relationship between the Soviet Union and the Nationalist Government entered a honeymoon period.At that time, the Communist International not only instructed the Chinese Communist Party as a branch of it to allow Chinese Communist Party members to join the Chinese Nationalist Party as a private person, thus solving organizational problems for the first cooperation between the Chinese Communist Party and the Communist Party of China. Strong support from the Chinese Kuomintang.It not only provided 2.5 million rubles for the Sun Yat-sen government to use as the opening cost of the military academy, but also sent more than 50 experienced and theoretical military advisers to Guangzhou to guide the military, political and training work of the military academy.The Soviet government also shipped a large number of guns and ammunition to the military academy in several batches, including rifles, bullets, machine guns, belts, artillery, shells and sabers, with a total value of about 10.61 million rubles.Therefore, it can be said that the talents and equipment of the Soviet Red Army first laid the foundation for the National Revolutionary Army.

After the death of Sun Yat-sen, Chiang Kai-shek respected the German-Prussian military system, but did not look down on the Soviet Red Army. More importantly, he held a deep hostility towards communism.So while completing the elimination and elimination of the Communist Party, he also drove the Soviet military advisers out of the army.So when the Nanjing Nationalist Government was established, Sino-Soviet relations had already deteriorated. In July 1929, the authorities of Northeast China and the Nanjing Nationalist Government further turned against the Soviet Union in order to take back the right of way of the entire Middle East Railway, and a local war broke out between the two sides.After this incident, the Soviet government officially announced the severance of diplomatic relations with the Nanjing Nationalist Government.

So far, China has changed from a friendly neighbor actively sought by the Soviet Union to a hostile neighbor.For a neighboring country that has broken diplomatic relations with itself, is the Soviet Union worth tearing its face with Japan?The answer is of course no.Therefore, when the September 18th Incident broke out, apart from moral support, China could not expect more from the Soviet Union.