7 7 6 D O C . 4 8 7 O N A S I A Published in New York Times, 17 May 1925, IX, 4:5. The document is part of an article entitled “Europe’s Peace Craving Mixed with Fear” by Herman Bernstein. [1]Bernstein (1876–1935), author of this present article, was a Russian-born American journalist and editor of The Jewish Tribune. In the introduction to his article, Bernstein stated: “In the course of a journey through England, France, Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Italy, Egypt, and Palestine, where I interviewed some of the foremost statesmen and intellectual leaders, as well as a large number of unknown people, I endeavored to find answers to some of the following questions: What are the statesmen thinking and planning? Are they working for durable peace or paving the way for another and more terrible war? What is being done to demobilize the war spirit, to check for selfish gains, to make secure the advantages of peace, to avert the slaughter, or to prevent mankind from committing suicide? Is militarism dead? Is pacifism alive? Has Bolshevism failed? Has Fascism succeeded? What influence can America exert today and what contribution can it make to save the world from self-extermination? In my investigations abroad I found that the influence of the United States in Europe is enormous, notwithstanding the fact that it is not a member of the League of Nations. The good-will of the United States is sought everywhere and its moral prestige is growing stronger throughout the world. While few of the statesmen and intellectual leaders abroad agreed on other questions, they all agree that America’s prestige and moral strength could serve as the greatest factor for world peace and readjust- ment.” [2]The Convention on the Fundamental Principles for Relations between Russia and Japan was signed on 20 January 1925 and ratified in Beijing on 26 February 1925. It stipulated that Japan would extend diplomatic recognition to the Soviet Union and withdraw its troops from the northern half of Sakhalin Island. For its part, the Soviet Union would honor the provisions of the Treaty of Ports- mouth, which formally ended the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, and review all the treaties between Czarist Russia and Japan, including the Fisheries Convention of July 1907 (see Lensen 1970, pp. 177–191). On the formation of this coalition and its perception by the West, see LaFeber 1997, pp. 148–149. [3]During the period 1920–1925, Japan’s population had increased from almost 56 million to almost 60 million. This was mostly the result of a fast increase in the rate of births. The average annual rate of population increase in this period was 6.7%. The country’s population had doubled since 1860 (see Sinha and Zacharia 2009, p. 541, and Allen 2011, p. 74). [4]World War I, the Russian civil war, and famine had taken an enormous toll on the Russian econ- omy and industry. However, recovery from 1923 onwards proceeded at a faster rate than originally expected. Large-scale industry, e.g., accelerated at a rate of 53% or 61% in the year 1924/1925 (see Davies 1994, pp. 135–136). [5]For other recent expressions of Einstein’s more positive views of the role of the League of Nations, see Docs. 365, 463, and Appendix B.