124.93/379: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received 9:45 a.m.]
937. When I shall have notified you of my departure from Nanking and in the absence of instructions for change please communicate to the Japanese Ambassador the following message and ask the Commander in Chief to communicate it to the Japanese military authorities:
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Chinese Government has announced its removal to Hankow and in order to perform his appropriate [Page 702] duties the American Ambassador has likewise left Nanking for that city. He has taken with him part of the Embassy staff, but the Embassy office at Nanking continues to function and its interests, including its property and archives, in Nanking are in charge of Secretary George Atcheson, who has Secretary J. Hall Paxton and Mr. Emile Gassie and the numerous Chinese clerks and other employees.
As the officers of the Japanese Embassy are undoubtedly aware, the American Embassy premises consist of two pieces of land situated to the east and west of Shanghai Road where it is crossed by Nilgan Road. The site is an elevated one and the five large buildings occupied by the Embassy, as well as the requisitioned buildings, have black roofs and cream colored walls. Two small entrances are found on Shanghai Road and motor car entrances are reached over Ningpo Road.
Formal notification of the disposition of the Embassy staff has been addressed to the Chinese National and local authorities and they have been informed that the Embassy expects full police protection.
The Embassy requests that the Japanese military and civil authorities take note of the circumstances described above and should necessity arise accord full recognition to the diplomatic status of the Embassy personnel and premises and give them appropriate facilities and full protection”.
Sent to Shanghai, Peiping. Shanghai please repeat to Tokyo.