52 THE ASSASSIN'S SHADOW LIES ACROSS JAPAN

LETTER FROM A JAPANESE SCHOOLBOY

September 20, 1932

The following letter received from a Japanese schoolboy is worth
recording :

DEAR MY SIR,—How do you do ?

I am a young boys of eighteen years old but I am so very like
of Aeoroplane that of cause most like of aeoroplane. As only a
photograph to amuse me. Japan have not only slightly aero-
plane photograph and it is high price and value. I am a want of
good beautiful Aeroplane photograph.

Please no laugh. Please no laugh of my convenience demand.

If you have photograph of aeroplane now please give me one
peace or two peace curtiss all right bouwing all right moth all right.

If you give me it how a joyful and happy and you have not
now please teach me address your country of famouse Aeroplane
company.

Sir please allow my convenience demand. Please Please
Good by Sir

YONG BOY

" LIKE IT OR FIGHT "
October 7, 1932

We hear a good deal to the effect that the liberal elements in Japan
are steadily working beneath the surface and that they will eventually
be heard from. Of this there is little concrete evidence, although the
decision to send Ambassador Debuchi back to Washington in spite
of military opposition may be a good sign. I rather think that the
Emperor had a hand in that. Anyway, somebody has been sensible
enough to see that it would be fatal to send a blatant type to Washing-
ton at this juncture, just as it would be fatal for America to have a
blatant type here. Secretary Hurley summed up the situation in a
nutshell when I saw him in Washington last May : " Like it or
fight."

In the afternoon Fleisher called to discuss an article he was sending

to the Herald Tribune, and then came-----for an hour's talk. He

said that he had been, making speeches steadily, one of them to three
hundred military officers, and had clearly explained the position of
the United States. He has had two hours and ten minutes with the
Emperor in the presence of Count Makino and others and was
surprised and immensely pleased by the Emperor's keen interest
in all he told him. He says that the Emperor understands our position
perfectly and is anxious to stop the anti-American press campaign

and the chauvinistic war talk. ----- then said that he wished to

impress on me two points, first, that if the Young Marshal, Chang
Hsueh-liang, will only keep quiet, there will be no question of
Japanese troops going to Peiping and that this all depends on Chang's