701.4193/102: Telegram
The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 29—1:05 p.m.]
327. 1. Under instructions from his Government, the British Chargé d’Affaires today presented a note to the Foreign Office concerning the wounding of the British Ambassador to China by a Japanese airplane. The note which is couched in reasonably moderate terms emphasizes the fact that the real issue is the illegality of the act because it was an attack on noncombatant and states that the foreign or diplomatic status of the occupants of the car is irrelevant. The note also brings out the points that the attack involved at best, negligence and complete disregard for the sanctity of civilian life; that the Ambassador was travelling in a locality where there were no Chinese troops nor any actual hostilities in progress; and that the absence of a declared [Page 495] state of war emphasizes the inexcusable nature of the incident. The note also lays stress on the wider significance of this event as an outstanding example of the results to be expected from indiscriminate attack from the air.
2. The British Government “requests”: (1) a formal apology to be conveyed by the Japanese Government to the British Government; (2) suitable punishment of those responsible for the attack, and (3) an assurance by the Japanese authorities that the necessary measures will be taken to prevent the recurrence of incidents of such a character.
3. In presenting the note to the Vice-Minister, Dodds told him that the British Government proposed to publish the note tomorrow. The Vice-Minister, however, requested that publication be delayed and Dodds has cabled this request to London.
4. Dodds requests that the note be regarded by us as confidential until officially published.81 Copy of text by mail to the Department unless we are instructed to cable it in full.
Repeated to Shanghai for relay to Nanking.
- Note was published August 30.↩