“Japan Planning the Seizure of Jehol Province,” Brantford Expositor. January 7, 1933. Page 1.
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By James A Mills, Associated Press Correspondent
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CHANGCHUN, Manchuria, Jan. 7 — (AP) — Activities of Chinese troops will determine how soon Japanese occupation of the Mongolian province of Jehol will begin it was disclosed here to-day at the Japanese army headquarters.
EXPECT OFFENSIVE
Military leaders indicated that It was planned to begin the drive no earlier that late February but that a Chinese "offensive” may cause the Japanese to act sooner. They said Marshal Chang Hsiao-Llang, North China war lord, was continuing to mass large fences in the province, former summer playground of Chinese emperors.
ALLEGE PLOT
At the same time the army headquarters made a sensational disclosure of an alleged Chinese plot to assassinate General Nobuyoshi Muto, Japan’s supreme representative in Manchuria, which it said was responsible Iidirectly for the outbreak of the three-day battle this week at Shanhaikwan.
It accused the highest Chinese authority in the north, Marshal Chang himself, of financing the scheme which allegedly included the killing of other powers in the Japanese-fostered Manchukuo government in Manchuria. The Japanese headquarters asserted a Korean, Kigyo son, member of the alleged terrorist organisation commissioned to carry out the plot, was captured at Tientsin and was being transported to Changchun just before the Shanhaikwan battle started Sunday.
RESCUE TRIED
Chinese tried to rescue him at Changli, southwest of Shanhaikwan, the Japanese said, and failing, in this later threw three bombs in the Japanese police headquarters at Shanhaikwan on the Manchurian border. This provoked the Shanhaikwan battle. (Chinese military leaders accused the Japanese of placing the bombs themselves).
The Japanese said money raised in Canada, the United States, and other countries here Chinese were residents was forwarded to Marshal Chang and used to finance the scheme.
Russians and Japanese Communists were reported among the conspirators.
UNOFFICIAL WAR
SHANGHAI, China, Jan. 7— (AP)— Spread of an unofficial war between Japan and China in northern China was regarded in foreign circles to-day as an imminent possibility.
It was estimated that at least 6000 Japanese troops now were concentrated at Shanhaikwan, China’s northern railway terminal, which the Japanese captured early this week and Chinese were reported rushing reinforcements to Chinwangtao, the port of the Yellow Sea, 10 miles westward.
Telegrams were pouring in on the Nationalist Government at Nanking from various war lords throughout China asking for orders to march against the Japanese. Among these were Tsai Ting-Kai, who commanded the 19th route army which defended Shanghai Province against the Japanese last February.
Chinese leaders here declared they were determined to defend the province of Jehol against the anticipated Japanese drive to bring that territory within the Manchukuo boundary. They said a further Japanese advance either northwestward in that direction from Shanhaikwan or further southward toward Tientsin and Peiping would be resisted.
