On page 17 the author writes: “The Manchurian Incident was the result of a plot on the part of Japan.” The author claims that between the USSR and Japan there was competition in Manchuria; that Japan was trying to come up to the frontier of the USSR and that it was the real object of the “Manchurian Incident.” “When the Soviet Ambassador Jurienev called on ARAKI with the view of finding out what the position of Japan was, ARAKI declared to him: “Since the USSR and Japan have different systems of state I believe no collaboration with the USSR seems to be possible.” (page 19). All the other sections deal with the progress of Japanese-American negotiations and the war in the Pacific. In one section the author bitterly criticizes TOJO and MATSUOKA for their policy of initiating war. He characterizes TOJO as a stubborn man of little ability and a brutal soldier who came up to the surface quite by chance. The author pays much attention to the conflicts between the army and the navy. He claims TOJO to be the embodiment of the Japanese military clique, belonging to the worst criminals. Conclusion 1.Undoubtedly, the notebook is of certain interest, as it reveals some aspects of the behind-the-scenes activities of the form rulers of Japan. 2.However, I regard it impossible to refer to this document while bringing up charges because of the following reasons: a.The notebook has been published by a scientific research society as a manual for the study of problems of law. Such a society, as I understand it, cannot serve as an official body responsible for everything that is put down in the notebook. b.The notebook is in the form of a pamphlet, in which the author discloses not only what somebody told him somewhere, but sets forth his impressions, suppositions and guesses. As to himself, one may assume, he never took part in any important conferences about which he got second-hand information. All this makes the impression that the author expresses his personal views and gives his personal interpretation in the way it is generally done by journalists.