Office of the Historian

793.94/9655: Telegram

The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State

Tokyo, August 24, 1937—9 p.m.
[Received August 24—12:11 p.m.]

309. Department’s 162, August 23, 8 p.m.63 Following is résumé of remarks by the Senior Aide of the Navy Minister in a conversation today with the Naval Attaché.

(Paragraphs 1 through 3 were in general confirmed today by the Secretary to the War Minister in conversation with the Military Attaché):

1.
All surface vessels of the combined fleet including aircraft carriers took part in a large operation to land army troops and naval landing force in the region of the lower Yangtze at dawn on August 23. The vessels had proceeded at top speed from various points in Japan to take the Chinese by surprise. Small boats and destroyers carrying a part of the Shanghai landing force came from Shanghai and participated in the landing. Transportation of artillery was a difficult problem.
2.
The landing was covered by naval gunfire and naval planes. It was carried out on the lower Whangpoo and on the south shore of the Yangtze northwest of Woosung. Chinese opposition was 27 planes, nine of which were brought down. Japanese losses were about 20 killed and 60 wounded. The fleet promptly withdrew. Vice Admiral Hasegawa was in command of landing operations. Henceforth Japanese operations in the Shanghai area are joint Army-Navy action.
3.
The plan is to repeat the operations of 1932 and by a flanking movement to force Chinese withdrawal from the Woosung peninsula. About 40,00 Chinese troops oppose the Japanese.
4.
Since fighting commenced in Shanghai the Japanese Navy has lost 200 killed, 400 wounded and 15 planes.
5.
Destruction of inland flying fields is to prevent Chinese air attacks on the coast.
6.
War supplies are entering China from the Soviet Union through Mongolia and the Japanese campaign northwest of Peiping is to cut off this traffic.
7.
Japan must prevent munitions from reaching the Chinese. An effort will be made to induce nations concerned to place a voluntary embargo on war supplies to China. This is a problem for the Foreign Office.

Repeated to Shanghai for relay to Nanking.

Grew
  1. Not printed.↩