Fugue plan: Jewish issue in Manchukuo

The article is devoted to the investigation of starting factors, potential moving realization forces and Japan project failure aimed at the foundation of the Jewish Autonomy in Manchukuo (Fugue Plan). In the course of current investigation the authors introduce documents of VChK/GPU, NKVD Administration in Chita Region about Russian national emigrant activities in Manchuria and FSB Administration of Russia in the Republic of Buryatia about Zionist movement prevention in the Soviet Power early years, the representatives of the above mentioned political forces being the most mass segment of Jewish opposition emigration to Manchuria. The foundation of Manchukuo state under the control of Japan with its mixed ethnical population structure claimed specific national politics, combining interests of the united state and different ethnical societies national identity preservation possibilities. The Jews were the target of Japan Foreign Department’s fixed attention, this nation having its own national administrative structure - the Jewish Autonomous Region in the USSR. Due to their assistance the Japan intended to kill two birds with one stone: to obtain the opportunity of Soviet Union political blackmailing aiming at proposed desire to unite Manchurian Jews and that of Jewish Autonomous Region and establish the Jewish colony consisted of European immigrants being able to attract American investments. In the course of investigation the authors came to the following conclusions: economical achievements of Jewish community, being the most influential among all emigrant ethnical groups in Manchuria, allowed Japan to rely the perspectives to the future prosperity of the Chinese territories under Japanese occupation on the Jews; for the sake of Jewish community in Manchukuo growth Japan aimed at attracting immigrants whose life in the Fatherland faced the danger, first of all in fascist Germany; it was contemplated that the broad autonomy given to the Jews would make Manchukuo attractive for them from other countries; having clear idea about the Jewish lobby influence in the USA, Japan hoped for American fundamental financial investments into its own economics and occupied territories; beside economical purposes Fugue Plan pursued ideological ones. Once more it was supposed to demonstrate great historical Japanese mission to protect Eastern countries suffered from the white imperialism; Fugue Plan was Utopian and from the very beginning doomed to failure. Refugees having arrived to Japan and on territories under the control had no money even to keep their body and soul together. Hopes for American Jewish investments failed as well: rich American Jews granted their financial assistance only to their co-religionists and had no desire to contribute to Japanese well-being. Nevertheless, in the frames of this project Sugihara Tune, a clerk of the Japanese Consulate in Kaunas, succeeded in saving the lives of6 000 European Jews.

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