“A reply has come from China,” said Kunieda to Nakata at the headquarters of the Evacuation Committee. “They want it kept confidential, but they’ll take two million people right away and seven million eventually. And perhaps they might be willing to take still more after negotiations.,,
“Why, that’s incredible,” said Nakata. “No matter how big China is, its per-capita income is too low for that. What about the food supply?”
“Well, what they want are farmers . . . and skilled workers, too.”
The United Nations had formed a committee to direct the Japanese relief operation, and gradually it began to take measures, including the formation of a plan for the distribution of refugees in which all the navies of the world would cooperate.
The topic taken up at the first closed session of the committee was the troublesome one of the manner of distributing the refugees. Wilson, the Canadian delegate, proposed considering a distribution based upon each nation’s proportion of the world population. A delegate from one of the small nations protested that something like that was far too mechanical. He insisted that a host of other factors be considered, such as the country’s economy, political situation, and long-range outlook.
“There would certainly be the ideal,” replied Chairman Sabayo, “but it’s obvious that there is no time for all that. Japan has been negotiating privately for some time, and there is still no place allotted for three quarters of her population. What we are concerned about now, gentlemen, is immediate succor— temporary refuge, not permanent homes. Once the refugees are safe, then there will be time enough for detailed negotiations.”
“It’s all very well to talk about temporary shelter,” said Dhabi, the Jordanian delegate, “but it could last for a long time and affect a country a great deal. Dirty refugee camps, outbreaks of disease, fights, clashes with the authorities—all sorts of trouble could arise.”
At that point Admiral Brubaker of the United States Navy, a special delegate, raised his hand. “If I might be allowed to put in something here . . . After the War I was involved with the repatriation of Japanese in China. And I was much impressed with how well behaved they were in those circumstances. There wasn’t the least difficulty.”
“But of course,” said Denisigyn, the Russian delegate, breaking in. “Groups of Japanese are very submissive and easy to handle—as long as they’re not armed.”
“And all those I knew who served in the Occupation,” said the admiral, going on as though he had not been interrupted, “confirmed my impression.”
“But we all know from the Second World War that the Japanese are not always so peaceful,” said Malik of Indonesia. “What is going to become of the Japanese armed forces after the evacuation?”
“One suggestion is that they serve in a special UN force. Right now they’re charged with keeping order during the evacuation,” answered Katsarides, the evacuation director.
“In any case, gentlemen,” said Chairman Sobayo, “we have no cause to fear Japan now. Our task, rather, is the saving of her people. I beg you to realize the gravity of the situation and lay aside bitter memories. The tragedy that is about to overwhelm Japan is unprecedented in history. And what is on trial now is not Japan but our own humanity.” The idealism expressed was but to be expected from Sobayo, a Tanzanian who from his early youth had been active in the cause of African unity. “Please don’t think of this, gentlemen, as happening to one country in the Far East, but as something that’s happening to all of us, as something that exerts the strongest possible moral force upon us.”
A message was handed to the director, who ran his eyes over it quickly and passed it to Sobayo.
“I have an announcement,” said the chairman. “The People’s Republic of Mongolia informs us that they will take 500,000 Japanese refugees immediately and more later.”
There was restrained applause.
Denisigyn smiled faintly. “They certainly won’t lose anything by that, with all that land and so little population, gaining skilled Japanese.”