U.S. REBUKE FOR SOVIET

Chronicle (Levin), 4 March 1946, Page 5

U.S. REBUKE FOR SOVIET

REMOVAL OF M AN C HtJRI AN MACHINERY Received Sunday 10.30 p.m. WASHIN C3-TON, March 3. The State Department issued a state ment that the United States has ne ..gioenient, secret or other v.ise, with thr ^j.iet Go v crmnent regarding war boot., n Mancliuria. ' ' This Government does ,not accept any interpretation of war booty to in wlude indr trial enterprises a'nd CGm pouents thereof, such as Japanese indnstrial equipment- in Manchuria. Some time ago we inforined the Soviet that che disposal of Japanese external assets such as industries in Manchuria was a tnatter of common interest and concern to allies who bore the major hurden oi ueieating Japan and it would be most inapprapriate at this time to make fina. disposition of Japanese external assets th Manchuria, either by removal of industrial assets as war booty or by agreement between the Chinese ancl boviet Governmeiits for the control oi those assets, ' ' it added. ' ' This Govern meiic recently initiated discussions wita fche other Governmeiits principally coa cerned with reparations from Japan, with respect to the final disposition oi japanese external assets." The Associated Press points out that che statement is tantamount to a reouke to Rubsia, inasmuch as the Soviei commander at Mukden this week declared that machinery had been removea In accordance with a "Big Three" agreemenc.