The attitude of Japan to the Russian problem made a complete somersault in the course of the year August, 1918, to August, 1919.  When Japan sent her 12th Division, under General Oie, to the Ussurie in 1918, she did so with a definite policy.  Her ambitions were entirely territorial in character; they doubtless remain so.  The line of her advance has, however, completely changed.  In 1918 she had made up her mind that Germany was bound to win the war; that Russia was a conquered country; that any day she might be called upon to repudiate her English alliance and her Entente engagements, and assist Germany and her Bolshevik Allies in driving the Entente Powers from the eastern end of the Tsar’s dominions.  Provided Germany defeated the Allies on the Western front, as she confidently anticipated, this task was well within her power.  So insignificant was the task assigned to her in this eventuality that she confidently expected the immediate surrender of such scattered Allied and American forces as would find themselves marooned in this back end of the world.  Believing this to be the position, she acted accordingly, treating the Russians and the other Allied forces in the stupidly arrogant manner I have already described.  With the naivete of a young Eastern prodigy she not only made demands upon her Allies, but at the same time made definite proposals to such Russian authorities as retained a precarious control over the territory she had already assigned to herself.  On landing her troops at Vladivostok she presented, through her proper diplomatic agents, to the commander of that province a set of proposals which would have placed her in control of the Russian maritime provinces.  The Russian commander asked that these demands should be put in writing, and the Japanese agent, after some demur, agreed, on the understanding that the first demands should not be considered as final but only as an instalment of others to come.  The first proposal was that Japan should advance the commander 150,000,000 roubles (old value) and the commander should sign an agreement giving Japan possession of the foreshore and fishing rights up to Kamchatka, a perpetual lease of the Engilsky mines, and the whole of the iron (less that belonging to the Allies) to be found in Vladivostok.

The Town Commander appears to have been quite honest about the business, for in correspondence he pointed out that he was not the Government of Russia, neither could he sign the property or rights of Russia away in the manner suggested.  The Japanese reply was simple and to the point:  “Take our money and sign the agreement, and we will take the risks about the validity.”  The old Directorate, with Avkzentieff, Bolderoff & Co. standing sponsors for the Russian Convention, were supposed to control Russian affairs at this time.  Directly the commandant refused to agree to the Japanese demands they transferred their claims to the old Directorate.  The Directorate sent Evanoff Renoff to “Vlady” to conduct