Growing Graver

Chinese President Chiang Kai-shek ripped open at Nanking last week an urgent telegram from Governor Chang Hsueh-liang of Manchuria: "THE SITUATION IS GROWING GRAVER EVERY MINUTE. I REQUEST INSTRUCTIONS WITH REGARD TO DEALING WITH PROVOCATIVE AND BELLIGERENT SOVIET TROOPS IN AN APPROPRIATE MANNER."

After smouldering for a month the Russo-Chinese crisis (TIME, July 22, et seq.) was flaring up again. At Moscow, telegrams from Soviet commanders on the Siberian-Manchurian frontier complained to Dictator Josef Stalin of provocative and belligerent raids by Chinese soldiers over the Russian frontier. Plainly the field commanders on both sides were spoiling for a declaration of war. But President Chiang and Dictator Stalin are both cool, calculating.

''Provocative incidents" reported during the week, any one of which might serve at a moment's notice as "provocation for declaring war" were:

P: A five-hour fight 22 miles from Manchuli, the frontier city where preliminary Russo-Chinese peace parlying recently broke down. Killed: two Chinese, twelve Russians.

P: A clash between Soviet Russians and a force composed of Chinese and White Russians near the frontier town of Pogranichnaya. Wounded: twelve Chinese, two White Russians, five Red Russians.

"Invasion of Manchuria by 10,000 Soviet troops with 30 field guns" was reported in an official Chinese communique. Simultaneously at Washington the Chinese minister, bald, bland Dr. C. C. Wu, announced that the Nationalist government was rushing 60,000 troops "to protect our territory from violation by Russia." Fast as cables could flash the Soviet war office at Moscow denied invading Manchuria, denounced the Chinese communique as "a malicious invention to screen Chinese attacks."

If war broke the "underlying cause" would be China's banishment of Russians employed on the Chinese-Eastern railway jointly owned by China and Russia (TIME, July 22, et seq.). Moscow denies Nanking's charge that the Russian employes had been hatching "terrorist plots."