States recently handed to Italy upon the Polish question reference was made to the presence of foreign troops on Russian soil. At the time this Note was made public Reuter's Washington correspondent described the feeling there in the following terms: While there is no special mention in the Note of Japanese occupation of Siberia, it is generally believed that Mr. Bainbridge Colby referred to the Japanese forces in his allusion to America's favouring the withdrawal of foreign troops from Russian territory."
Prior to the Note to Italy the United States had addressed a Note to Japan on the subject of the Siberian occupation.—_ Several hints as to the tenour of this Note have appeared in the Japanese press, but up to the present it has not been published. The contents of the Note are, however, known in certain sections of Chinese politics, and we are informed that the following is a fair summary The U. 8. Government acknowledges receipt of a communication from the Japanese Government in which it is stated that (1) Japanese troops, are about to be withdrawn from the Trans-Baikal district; (2) The Japanese government will continue to maintain garrisons at Harbarovsk and Vladivostok; (3) By way of reprisal for the outrage perpetrated at Nicholaievsk the apanese government will occupy the northern half of the Island of Saghalien until a governuient is established in Russia with which Japan can deal and from which reparation can be exacted.
Ocovrartos Nor Approven Or.
The U.S. Government views with satisfaction the withdrawal of Japanese troops from the Trans-Baikal district. The Government. ig not sufficiently informed of conditions in the maritime districts to comment upon the continued occupation of Vladivostok and Harbarovsk, so refrains front an expression of opinion. With regard to the occupation of Northern Saghalien, the U. S. Government cannot seo the relevancy of the military occupation of Saghalien to the Nicholaievsk affair.
In the first place the outrage occurred on the mainland at a point remote from the island in question. In the second place it has not been reported that either Japanese residents or Japanese property on the island suffered in any way. In tthe third place it has not been learned that the Russian author-aes a the en were either Hirectly or indirectly responsible for the affair. In the fourth place the U. S. Government cannot see how the occupation of Russian territory on the island will tend to prevent repetitions of such episodes as the Nicholaievsk affair on the mainland.
The joint expedition in Siberia was undertaken in the interests of
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.