Trautmann mediation
The Trautmann Mediation was an attempt by German Ambassador to China Oskar Trautmann to broker a peace between Japanese Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe and Chiang Kai-shek of the Chinese Kuomintang Government shortly after the 2nd Sino-Japanese War began. The mediation began in November 1937 and ended on January 16, 1938 by Konoe's rejection announcement.
Background
Since the 1920s, Germany had had a close relationship with Kuomintang government. After the Nazi Party took power, Nazi Germany maintained a good relationship with the Kuomintang government. However, Nazi Germany signed the Anti-Comintern Pact with Japan in November 1936. Germany's expectation for Japan was to be an eastern counterweight against the Soviet Union. For Germany, any armed conflict between China and Japan was very unwelcome.
After August 1937, the Battle of Shanghai had escalated into the full-scale war. China appealed to the international community to take necessary measures against Japanese aggression. Japan did not want endless war with China and therefore made the peace proposal and asked Germany to mediate the peace talks in October 1937.
1st Proposal
Following is a summary of Japanese 1st peace proposal. Germany approved this proposal. Oscar Trautmann handed this proposal to Kuomintang government on November 5, 1937.
- Inner Mongolia autonomy
- A de-militarized zone between Manchukuo and northern China under Nanking government administration.
- A de-militarized zone in Shanghai with international police
- Stop all anti-Japan policies
- Japan and China cooperate in fighting against communism
- Lowering tariffs for Japanese goods
- Respect foreign nation's properties and rights in China
Japan warned this proposal would be valid for a limited time because a fierce battle still continued. However, Chiang Kai-shek expected diplomatic or physical assistance from the outside. Therefore, he deferred his government's reply to Tokyo. The Nine Power Treaty Conference at Brussel began on Nov 3, 1937.
The conference issued the declaration[1] on Nov 15 and concluded[2] on November 24 but no effective measures. The league of Nations was also not able to take any effective measures.
Japan was gaining military upper hand in November. Fall of Shanghai on Nov 12. At the end of November, the military situation for China became hopeless. The fall of Nanking, the capitol, was imminent. Therefore, Chiang Kai-shek decided to accept the Japanese proposal as the basis of the peace negotiation. This was told to Trautmann on December 2, 1937.
But the hardliners were gaining the momentum in Tokyo after the bloody battle of Shanghai. They thought the original proposal was too lenient and no longer a valid basis for the peace talks. Japan officially refused the peace negotiation that was based on the first proposal and promised to offer another peace proposal within a few weeks.
2nd Proposal
After lengthy internal discussion, the Konoe administration made a second proposal as follows.
- Diplomatic recognition for Manchukuo
- Inner Mongolia autonomy
- Stop all anti-Japan and anti-Manchukuo policies
- Japan, Manchukuo and China cooperate in fighting against communism
- War reparations
- Demilitarized zones in northern China and inner Mongolia
- Trade agreement between Japan, Manchukuo and China
A Japanese diplomat told this to the German ambassador in Japan on December 22, 1937. Japan also set January 5, 1938 as the deadline for a Chinese reply.
However, this new proposal was far beyond acceptable range for Chiang Kai-shek. He refused the idea but did not make an official reply.
Break off
On January 11, 1938, six days after the deadline for a Chinese government reply, Imperial Conference (Gozen Kaigi) was held at Tokyo. Japanese cabinet ministers and military leaders discussed how to handle the Trautmann mediation. The navy did not have a strong opinion because basically the current war was the army's business. The army requested to end the war with more lenient conditions by a diplomatic way, because they were facing a much stronger far-eastern Soviet army at the northern Manchukuo border and wanted to avoid endless attrition warfare. However, Hirota Koki, the minister of foreign affairs, strongly disagreed with the army. According to him, there was no hope for Trautmann mediation because of the huge opinion gap between China and Japan.
January 15, 1938, Japanese primary cabinet members and military leaders had a conference. This time, the emperor did not attend. There was a heated argument about the continuation of the Trautmann mediation. Hayao Tada, Deputy Chief of Army General Staff insisted on continuation. Konoe, Hirota, Navy Minister Mitsumasa Yonai and War Minister Hajime Sugiyama disagreed with him. Finally Tada reluctantly agreed with Konoe and Hirota. That same day, Konoe reported the cabinet's conclusion – termination of Trautmann's mediation – to the emperor.
January 16, 1938, Konoe announced the statement. It said "The Japanese government will not negotiate with the Chiang Kai-shek government anymore." (Translation from Japanese).
References
- ↑ "Declaration Adopted by the Nine Power Conference at Brussels On November 15, 1937". Vincent Ferraro. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
- ↑ "Declaration Adopted by the Conference at Brussels On November 24, 1937". Vincent Ferraro. Retrieved 2016-10-18.
Sources
Tetsuya Kataoka, Resistance and Revolution in China: The Communists and the Second United Front,1974, University of California Press