Lytton Report
The Lytton Report (リットン報告書, Ritton Hōkokusho) refers to the findings of the Lytton Commission, entrusted in 1931 by the
.The five-member commission, headed by British politician Victor Bulwer-Lytton, announced its conclusions in October 1932. It stated that Japan was the aggressor, had wrongfully invaded Manchuria, and that it should be returned to the Chinese. It also argued that the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo should not be recognized, and recommended Manchurian autonomy under Chinese sovereignty. The League of Nations General Assembly adopted the report, and Japan quit the League. The recommendations went into effect after Japan surrendered in 1945.
The Commission
The Lytton Commission, headed by Lord Lytton, included four other members, one each from the US (Major General Frank Ross McCoy), Germany (Doctor Heinrich Schnee), Italy (Count Luigi Aldrovandi Marescotti), and France (General Henri Claudel).[1][2] The group spent six weeks in Manchuria in spring 1932 (despite having been sent in December 1931) on a fact-finding mission after they had met government leaders in the Republic of China and in Japan. It was hoped that the report would defuse the hostilities between Japan and China and thus help maintain peace and stability in the Far East.
Lytton Report
The Lytton Report contained an account of the situation in Manchuria before September 1931, when the
However, the report did not directly address one of its chief goals: the cause of the Mukden Incident. Instead, it simply stated the Japanese position (that the Chinese had been responsible), with no comment as to the truth or falsity of the Japanese claims.[4] Although there was no doubt as to Japan's guilt among the five commission members,[5] Claudel (the French delegate) insisted that Japan not be portrayed as the aggressor.[6]
In spite of care to preserve
The Daily Telegraph French correspondent says: "The report insists on the withdrawal of Japanese troops within the South Manchuria railway zone, and recommends the establishment of an organisation under the sovereignty of China to deal with conditions in Manchuria, taking due account of the rights and interests of Japan, and the formation of a committee of negotiation for the application of these and other recommendations."[7]
Consequences
In September 1932, even before the official announcement of the findings of the Lytton Report on October 2, 1932, was made public, the Japanese government extended official
In the end, the Lytton Report basically served to show the weaknesses of the League of Nations and its inability to enforce its decisions. The situation was complicated by the length of time it took for the Lytton Commission to prepare its report, during which time Japan was able to firmly secure its control over Manchuria and was thus able to reject the condemnation of the League with impunity.
References
- ^ Five Wise Westerners Time Magazine 10 Oct 1932
- ^ Robert H. Ferrell, "The Mukden Incident: September 18–19, 1931." Journal of modern history 27.1 (1955): 66–72. in JSTOR
- ^ The Mukden Incident by Thomas Ferrell, Journal of Modern History March 1955 (see p. 67),
- ^ Memo from the US Ambassador in Japan to the US Secretary of State, 16 July 1932, Foreign Relations of the United States, Japan 1931–1941 (see pp. 93–94),
- ^ Myopic Grandeur by John E. Dreifort (see pp. 80–83)
- ^ "Lytton Report". Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842–1954). 16 February 1933. p. 9.
- ^ Frederick V. Field, "American Far Eastern Policy, 1931–1937." Pacific Affairs 10.4 (1937): 377–392. in JSTOR
Further reading
- Chang, David Wen-wei. "The Western Powers and Japan's Aggression in China: The League of Nations and 'The Lytton Report.'" American Journal of Chinese Studies (2003) 19#1 pp 43–63.
- Jin, Wensi, and Wên-ssŭ Chin. China and the League of nations: the Sino-Japanese controversy (St. John's University Press, 1965).
- Kuhn, Arthur K. "The Lytton Report on the Manchurian Crisis." American Journal of International Law 27.1 (1933): 96–100. in JSTOR
- Nish, Ian Hill. Japan's Struggle with Internationalism: Japan, China, and the League of Nations, 1931–3 (Routledge, 1993).
- Saito, Hirosi. "A Japanese view of the Manchurian situation." The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 165 (1933): 159–166. in JSTOR
- Walters, Francis Paul. A History of The League of Nations. London: Oxford University Press, 1960. pp. 491–492. Available on the site of the United Nations Office in Geneva online
External links
- Full text of the report
- Discussion on the report in the Assembly of the League of Nations. Part 1 Archived 2016-04-27 at the Wayback Machine Part 2 Archived 2016-04-27 at the Wayback Machine
- US History.com site