Lytton Report
Lord Lytton led a team of four other men to investigate the conflict. Major-General Frank Ross McCoy represented the United States. Dr Heinrich Schnee came from Germany. Count Luigi Aldrovandi Marescotti spoke for Italy. General Henri Claudel served as the French delegate. The group arrived in Manchuria during spring 1932 after being sent in December 1931. They met with government leaders in both China and Japan before entering the region. Their mission was to determine the facts surrounding the Mukden Incident.
Commission members spent six weeks traveling through Manchuria in early 1932. They examined train attacks that had sabotaged railways with explosions throughout the area. Bandits planned to kidnap German governor Heinrich Schnee and French general Henri Claudel on their return journey. Airplanes were used as a safety measure during their voyage back to Europe. The group investigated the blast point of the railway where the initial explosion occurred. They collected evidence from many participants and eyewitnesses who witnessed events after the 18th of September 1931.
The commission stated that Japanese army operations could not be regarded as legitimate self-defense. This conclusion followed the Mukden incident when the Japanese army seized Manchuria without authorization from the Japanese government. The report described unsatisfactory features of Chinese administration while giving weight to various claims by Japan. It proceeded with a narrative of events subsequent to the 18th of September 1931 based on eyewitness testimony. Despite this finding, the report held that both nations had legitimate grievances regarding rights and obstructions.
The new State of Manchukuo could not have been formed without the presence of Japanese troops. The report concluded it had no general support locally or from China. It was not part of a genuine and spontaneous independent movement. The State had already been proclaimed before the Commission reached Manchuria. The commission devoted particular attention to the origins and development of this puppet state. They examined economic interests of Japan in both Manchuria and China as a whole.
Japanese ambassador Yosuke Matsuoka led his delegation out of the General Assembly meeting. Japan gave formal notice of its withdrawal from the League of Nations on the 27th of March 1933. The Japanese government extended official diplomatic recognition to the puppet government of Manchukuo in September 1932. This occurred even before the official announcement of findings became public on the 2nd of October 1932. The United States announced the Stimson Doctrine which warned that areas gained by conquest would not be recognized.
Great powers never invoked Article 16 of the Covenant to mark Japan as an aggressor. They refused to levy economic sanctions during the Great Depression. Western nations were reluctant to damage their own economies by sanctioning another great power. The policy used was largely appeasement without any enforcement mechanism. Without Article 16 it was impossible for the League to enforce the Lytton Report recommendations. The situation complicated by the length of time it took for the commission to prepare its report allowed Japan to secure control over Manchuria with impunity.
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Common questions
Who were the members of the Lytton Report commission?
Lord Lytton led a team that included Major-General Frank Ross McCoy from the United States, Dr Heinrich Schnee from Germany, Count Luigi Aldrovandi Marescotti representing Italy, and General Henri Claudel as the French delegate. The group arrived in Manchuria during spring 1932 after being sent in December 1931.
What did the Lytton Report conclude about the legitimacy of Japan's occupation of Manchuria?
The report stated that Japanese army operations could not be regarded as legitimate self-defense because the seizure occurred without authorization from the Japanese government. It concluded that the State of Manchukuo had no general support locally or from China and was not part of a genuine independent movement.
When did the Lytton Commission arrive in Manchuria to investigate the conflict?
The commission arrived in Manchuria during spring 1932 after being sent in December 1931. They spent six weeks traveling through the region in early 1932 to examine train attacks and collect evidence from eyewitnesses who witnessed events after the 18th of September 1931.
How did Japan respond to the findings of the Lytton Report released on the 2nd of October 1932?
Japan gave formal notice of its withdrawal from the League of Nations on the 27th of March 1933 following the release of the report. The Japanese government extended official diplomatic recognition to the puppet government of Manchukuo in September 1932, which occurred before the official announcement of findings became public.
Why were economic sanctions not imposed against Japan despite the Lytton Report recommendations?
Great powers never invoked Article 16 of the Covenant to mark Japan as an aggressor because they refused to levy economic sanctions during the Great Depression. Western nations were reluctant to damage their own economies by sanctioning another great power, leaving the policy largely as appeasement without any enforcement mechanism.