THE ORIGINS OF THE SHANGHAI UNREST

The current movement, whose importance seems to grow daily, was provoked and encouraged by the Bolsheviks.
The xenophobic movement that erupted eight days ago in the major Chinese port of Shanghai is assuming more worrying proportions by the day.
The apparent origin of these unrest lies in a trivial incident: the death of a Chinese worker killed in a fight with Japanese workers during one of the numerous sabotage attempts launched over the past three months against Japanese cotton mills. Enraged by this death, the striking Chinese workers in these mills organized a clearly xenophobic demonstration on May 30th, with the help of numerous students and despite the authorities' ban. The police, having arrested some of the leaders, were in turn attacked by the demonstrators and, to free their post, which was about to be taken, had to use their weapons. About ten Chinese were killed and a few others wounded, which has since provoked a series of collisions on the international concession, resulting in numerous casualties. This is the initial situation. But it is clear that the movement had been brewing for a long time. What seems certain, on the other hand, is that it was, if not provoked, at least very seriously encouraged by Bolshevik propaganda. These were emissaries from Moscow who incited the students against the alleged exploitation of foreigners and who incited the workers to strike, riot, and attack the international concessions. This propaganda was skillfully mounted, and Shanghai was far from being its only field of action. The Soviet ambassador, Karakhan, does not seem to be a stranger to these political maneuvers, which pursue a dual goal: to oust foreign influences from China—that is, Japanese, English, American, and French—and to prepare the ground for the future entry of the great Far Eastern republic into the Union of the United States. R.S.S.
Such prey is ardently coveted in Moscow, and, moreover, the Chinese masses, predisposed to communism and poor, are not entirely rebellious to the promises of the emissaries of the Third International.
The Bolshevik tendencies prevalent in Canton are the most striking example of this. Undoubtedly, while awaiting the realization of broader designs, revolutionary propaganda seeks to turn Shanghai into a second Canton. This dangerous state of mind is unfortunately being fostered by the Chinese authorities in Beijing, whose note to the dean of the diplomatic corps was not without surprise. Such encouragement can only aggravate the situation. Pending a joint and energetic intervention by the powers—which, we believe, has not yet been considered, but which could become necessary—the most serious precautions have been taken in Shanghai to ensure the safety of foreign nationals. (See Latest News for our dispatches on the spread of unrest across China.)