Great Britain unreservedly supported the Franco- American action. Japan expressed
some surprise' at not having been consulted before the message was sent, but she unquestionably approves of its object. If there had been no exact basis in any Treaty for reminding China and Russia of their duty, the message would still have been eminently desirable and justifiable ; but, of course, there was the most formal justification in the Washington Treaty of 1921. The four Powers then agreed that in the event of any disturbance in the Far East affecting their interests and threatening the general peace, they would communicate with one another " fully and frankly " in order to co-operate in ending the trouble. The extreme opportuneness of their inter- vention at the end of last week was proved by the bellicose character of speeches being made by public men in both China and Russia. The message produced a trans- formation. Both the Chinese Government and the Soviet Government sent assurances to Washington that they contemplated no hostilities whatever "except for self-defence."
