494.11/96
Memorandum by the Ambassador in Japan (Grew)
In my conversation with the Minister for Foreign Affairs today he anticipated the presentation of our note, no. 1157 of December 22, in which we asked for replies to various notes already addressed to the Japanese Government regarding the bombing by Japanese airplanes of American mission property in China. This anticipation was a result of Mr. Dooman having informed Mr. Yoshizawa in advance that I had the intention to approach this matter. Mr. Arita said he understood that there had been ten or twelve cases of the bombing of American property in China and that while these cases would be [Page 632] dealt with in due course, he wished now to refer to the attack on the Lutheran Brethren Mission at Tungpeh, Honan, resulting in the destruction of American property and the death and injury of American citizens. He said that as Tungpeh was not under Japanese occupation it had been up to the present impossible to conduct an investigation into this case and the question of responsibility and indemnity could not be approached until such investigation had taken place. Nevertheless, in view of the fact that American life had been lost there as a result of the hostilities in China, he wished now to express his regret on behalf of the Japanese Government. He understood that such an expression of regret had already been tendered by the Japanese representative in Shanghai. Mr. Arita then handed me a note confirming his oral statement.68
I acknowledged the Minister’s expression of regret and received his note but at the same time I said that I had already written him a note, no. 1157, December 22, covering this and other cases of bombing and referring to several notes of ours to which we had as yet received no reply, including the Tungpeh case. I handed this note to the Minister and expressed the hope that he would expedite replies to the various notes mentioned.
In view of the Minister’s implied supposition that there were only ten or twelve cases of the bombing of American property in China, I took occasion to say to him that if I was not mistaken the number of such cases already totalled between two hundred and three hundred, and on December 28 I wrote to him stating that so far as we are now advised the cases of injury to American property in China at the hands of Japanese forces, including bombing, looting, assault, et cetera, totalled 296.
Our note, no. 1157, December 22, is based on the Department’s telegram no. 420, December 16, 6 p.m.68a