394.115 Panay/6: Telegram
The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 13—3:30 a.m.]
619. Embassy’s No. 587, December 2, 3 p.m.19 On the basis of telegrams received this morning from the Embassies in Nanking and Hankow with regard to the jeopardizing of the U. S. S. Panay and American refugees on Standard Oil Company’s ships on the Yangtze by shelling, I called on my own initiative this morning on the Minister for Foreign Affairs and with reference to our aide-mémoire of December 1 requested him to take further steps to restrain the Japanese military forces from continuing the serious risks to American lives and property involved in the dropping of shells in the vicinity of these ships. I left with the Minister an aide-mémoire and also copies of portions of the telegrams from Nanking and Hankow giving the facts. These excerpts were left with the Minister informally and not as diplomatic documents at his request after I had read them to him.
The Minister’s only comment was that the Japanese military authorities had already warned foreign nationals to evacuate the area of hostilities around Nanking. I pointed out the deplorable and serious effect which would be caused in the United States if the shells falling in the vicinity of these vessels should cause injury to Americans.
Repeated Peiping for Nanking and Hankow.
- Not printed.↩