393.1163/676
The Minister in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 21.]
Sir: In view of possibly misleading American newspaper reports, I have the honor to submit the following report of the recent activities in Peiping of Mr. C. Araki, Diplomatic Officer attached to the Japanese Kwantung Army Headquarters, who, during the first week in March, called at several of the local American missions and requested that he be supplied with information as to the location of all American mission property in Hopei Province (his inquiries in one case extending to mission property in “North China” which term he failed to define when requested to do so). Mr. Araki stated that while no trouble was expected at the time, it would be well for the Japanese military authorities to have definite knowledge of the location of foreign property in Hopei Province in order that it might be protected from molestation or damage in the event of any future “trouble.”
It appears that Mr. Araki, who is known to the office of the Military Attaché of this Legation as an officer connected with the “Diplomatic Bureau,” of the Japanese Kwantung Army, called on the British Military Attaché and subsequently was sent in that official’s motorcar to call on Bishop Norris of the Anglican Mission. Bishop Norris is reported to have promptly supplied Mr. Araki with a rough list of Anglican Mission property in Hopei and to have supplied him with a complete list on the following day. Mr. Araki, on the “introduction” of Bishop Norris, then proceeded to visit the Secretary [Page 93] of the American Congregational Mission requesting information as to the location of the Mission’s property and stating that he was seeking this information for the Japanese Kwantung Army in order that it might be in a position to protect American Mission property from damage and to prevent its molestation in the event of “trouble” in this area.
In response to inquiries addressed to the American Minister by the Secretary of the Congregational Mission, he was informed that the Mission was of course under no obligation whatever to furnish information of this nature to Mr. Araki and that it would be entirely proper for the Mission to refer him to the American Consulate General at Tientsin but that, as a practical matter, assuming that Mr. Araki was sincere in desiring this information for the use of the Japanese Kwangtung Army in protecting American property in the event that “trouble” occur in this area, it appeared to the Legation that no harm would come from the Mission informally furnishing such information to Mr. Araki; that, in fact, this information would be promptly supplied to the Japanese authorities by the American authorities in the event of any difficulties between the Japanese and Chinese forces in this area.
Similar advices were given by the Legation to the representatives of the Presbyterian and Methodist Missions when they, prior to answering Mr. Araki’s questions, asked the Legation’s advice in the premises. These mission representatives, on the advice of the Legation, pointed out to Mr. Araki that his method of direct approach was surprising and irregular since the Japanese authorities obviously should seek such information from the American authorities and not directly from American citizens. These remarks apparently occasioned Mr. Araki considerable embarrassment and, in the case of the Presbyterian Mission, he requested that his official visiting card be returned to him whereupon with a pencil he crossed out the following official designation appearing after his name “Diplomatic Officer, Imperial Japanese Army Detachment, Shanhaikwan. Attached to Imperial Japanese Army Headquarters, Tientsin”. Having thus sought to divest himself of his official status, Mr. Araki returned the card to the representative of the Mission and assured him that this matter was a purely personal one and was not to be considered as official.
It is understood that each of the Missions approached by Mr. Araki gave him a certain amount of information concerning the location of their mission stations in Hopei Province, one mission, at least, supplying him with a copy of its printed annual report which is public property and lists all of its mission stations.
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[Page 94]It is understood that certain American and other foreign press representatives made brief telegraphic reports to their home offices in regard to the matter which was, all things considered, a tempest in a teapot. Mr. Araki’s calls did, however, result in a certain amount of speculation as to the reason for the Japanese Army at just that juncture seeking to obtain information to be used by it in the event of “trouble” in North China. It is not believed that the matter was one of any particularly immediate significance but was, rather, the bungling effort of a subordinate attached to the Kwantung Army Headquarters at Tientsin to obtain routine information during an alleged leave of absence for purposes of sightseeing in Peiping.
In this general regard, the following comments of Lieutenant Colonel W. S. Drysdale, the American Military Attaché, are of interest:
“The Japanese Legation authorities both civil and military have taken a peculiar attitude toward the case. The Japanese Military Attaché’s office issued a statement through the Nippon Dempo News Agency to the effect that Mr. Araki was evidently a vagabond or ronin without any fixed occupation and had no relation whatsoever with the Japanese military authorities. The spokesman of the Military Attaché further said that proper steps had been taken with regard to Mr. Araki expelling him from China. Mr. Nakayama, the first Secretary of the Japanese Legation, stated that Mr. Araki was to be sent home and when questioned where home might be—Tientsin or Japan—replied ‘Japan’.
“Mr. Araki had been known to this office when he was attached to the Japanese Army in Shanhaikwan and also in Tientsin, so when Japanese official sources denied his connection with the Japanese Army, inquiries were made as to his present position. It appears that Mr. Araki is still on duty with the Japanese Army in Tientsin as ‘Diplomatic Officer’. When questioned by a reliable source Mr. Araki indicated that there was some difficulty between him and the Japanese Military Attaché in Peiping, Colonel Shibayama, and made the remark that ‘The case is not yet finished. We will see in a little while.’ It is apparent that Colonel Shibayama considers the activity of Mr. Araki as a trespass on his own particular territory which he does not think comes under the jurisdiction of the Tientsin command.”
Respectfully yours,