The notes and public statements of the Soviet representatives in the Far East have begun to show clearly enough that the Soviet wants to seize and operate the Chinese fastern Railway as a Russian railway and noo og a Ohinese railway and also that the Soviet has no intention of restoring Mongolia to China or of giving Mongolia even that degree of autonomy guaranteed under the old three-party agreement. These points are obvious enough to anyone who reads between the lines of Joffe's published statement, and if one reads Russian statements of policy published in my Russia and Siberia one does not Of these things the Chinese are becoming aware, but they have not influenced then. so much perhaps as Joffe's insulting attitude towards the Chinese Government which he has adopted since the Changchun conference and the Red occupation of Vladivostok. He has given up wheedling and coaxing, given un even gracious condescension, and is frankly bullying China in a way that no imperialistic government except Japan has bullied Chin" for 20 years. As long as he abused the Occidental Governments before his Chinese audiences, the Chinese were astonished and delighted by his boldness. Tt was a new experience to hear a foreign diplomat in Peking call the great Powers of the West bad names. But since he has turned the same weapons of abuse on China the Chinese have been astonished afresh, but by no means delighted this time. The best of it la that the Chinese are not at all intimidated. Guided by sound political intuition they have realized that Joffe is bluffing, that he is blutting awkwardly and badly and that he is making rather a silly spectacle of himself in the sight of the very Occidentals whom he has so consistently abused. His policy hae not only lost him the friendship of those Chinese who were inclined to be friendly with him but has also lost him all dignity in Chinese eyes which, from a diplomatic pain of view, is a much more serious less in China,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.