THE POSITION AT SHANGHAI.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20496, 15 March 1932, Page 9

THE POSITION AT SHANGHAI.

CHINA DESIRES PEACE. STATEMENT BY CHINESE GENERAL. (united mess association—bt electric TELEGRAPH —COPYRIGHT.) (Received March 14th, 9.55 p.m.) SHANGHAI, March 14. General Chiang Kai-shek, interviewed followinr his acceptance of the post of chairman of the Military Commission, declared that all that China wished was for a peaceful settlement of the Chinese-Japanese dispute, but if Japan did not cease aggressive action China would be prepared to fight to the bitter end. He did not put much confidence in the Japanese announcements of intention to withdraw the Ninth Division from Shanghai. Actually, they were preparing for further military operations. A COMMUNIST PLOT. ELEVEN CHINESE ARRESTED. (Received March 15th, 1.15 a.m.) SHANGHAI, March 14. A plot to overthrow the Chinese Administration of the Shanghai area and to establish Communist control of the public services of the native territory was revealed upon the arrest of eleven Chinese yesterday, the seizure of documents proving that the coup was to have been effected at dawn t'o-day. Everything was in readiness forcibly to . control the Public Safety Bureaux and other municipal buildings at Mantao, and to form a "South-Eastern Army" for the purpose of assisting the Nineteenth Route Army to resist the Japanese. The plotters are all former military and political leaders under General Chiang Kai-shek. The Japanese are greatly concerned over the discovery and consequently they are not allowing any uniformed Chinese to -enter the occupied areas.