Heroic Upset

Bitter enemies, former Premier Sun Fo and former President Chiang Kai-shek strove like two men in a swiftly turning whirlpool to grasp what straws of Power they could.

Mr. Sun, a Cantonese, had been worsted last month by the intrigues of General Chiang (TIME, Feb. i), but "China's Verdun" magically restored Cantonese Sun's prestige and the prestige of his "Cantonese Government." General Chiang, once a sensational leader of armies but now a practicer of nonresistance toward Japan, suddenly found himself forced to "approve" the resistance currently being made. But General Chiang, while advocating resistance at Shanghai, rumored that he would move (flee) with what he called "my Government" to Peiping. Four years ago as Conqueror-of-all-China, he changed that city's name from Peking (meaning "Northern Capital") to Peiping (meaning "Northern Peace"). Last week General Chiang proposed to restore to the old city its historic name and rank.

Jubilant were the foreign diplomats. They and their legation and embassy buildings have stayed in the P-city. and there they will stay, not letting any Chinese bamboozle them into thinking that the "Capital of China" is at Nanking or Canton or anywhere else. For China has reached such a state of chaos that she has no capital, no government. She has only earth and more people on it than live anywhere else.

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