394.115 Panay/403: Telegram
The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 22—10:55 a.m.]
194. Department’s 81, March 9, 11 a.m., and our 171, March 14, 4 p.m.29 The Naval Attaché has presented to me the following memorandum:
“At a conference this morning the senior aide to the Navy Minister stated: (1) The report that ‘the Navy Minister had exonerated the naval officers connected with the Panay bombing, blaming poor communications therefor’ was untrue; (2) the Japanese Navy traditionally holds the highest ranking officers fully responsible for their units and the commander of the naval air forces, Rear Admiral Mitsunami, was immediately recalled and he and another unit commander have been given appropriate punishment. For reasons of morale and discipline the nature of this cannot be disclosed; (3) when asked if the pilots or Captain Senda (the director of air operations) were punished, Captain Kondo replied that all responsible parties had been appropriately punished but this could not be disclosed for the above reason; (4) when asked if any of those responsible parties had benefited by the Imperial amnesty on Constitution Day, the reply was ‘no’.”
Repeated to Shanghai for Hankow and for the commander in chief.
- Neither printed.↩