Office of the Historian

893.7961/36: Telegram

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

Tokyo, September 3, 1938—3 p.m.
[Received September 3—9 a.m.]

575. Department’s 302, August 30, 11 a.m.,79 reference flights in China of third party aircraft.

1. On September 1 we made inquiry of the Foreign Office with regard to the reported statement on August 26 by the Japanese spokesman at Shanghai. We were informed that following a similar inquiry by the British Embassy the Japanese Government authorities at Shanghai had been instructed to make a report to Tokyo and that a reply would be made to us upon receipt of that report. The Foreign Office has now sent to us a copy of the statement issued yesterday afternoon by the Foreign Office Press Bureau and has requested that it be accepted as a reply to our inquiry of September 1. The statement follows:

“The recent incident involving a China National Aviation Corporation plane occurred on account of the fact that the plane abruptly changed its course and took to flight as soon as it found the presence of the Japanese naval aircrafts which could not but believe that that plane was an enemy plane and pursued and attacked it. However, in view of the recent incident and the necessity of making our attitude clear with regard to aircrafts of third powers and Chinese non-military planes in the zone of operation of Japanese war planes, we wish to make the following statement.

(1) The Japanese forces have no intention whatever of attacking any Chinese non-military plane as such, but they are not in a position to guarantee its safety when it comes into the zone of operations of the Japanese Air Forces.

We believe this is quite proper because of the reasons that,

(1)
it is extremely difficult to distinguish the different types of aircrafts in the air,
(2)
even non-military planes are capable of serving mail, to [of] reconnoitring and other military purposes,
(3)
Chinese planes have in the past frequently come to attack the Japanese forces and reconnoitre over our positions. Moreover, they are not marked according to a fixed standard.

[Page 465]

(2) As to aircrafts of third powers, the Japanese forces will pay full attention for their safety so long as those aircrafts comply with the Japanese request particularly with regard to the course of their flight, et cetera.

The British Imperial Airways, to which Japan made a request in February of this year to follow a fixed course in leaving and arriving at Hong Kong, complied with our request, as the result of which there has occurred not a single untoward incident.”

2. The Foreign Office forwarded to us at the same time a copy of a memorandum from the Navy Department and requested that the contents be communicated to Pan American Airways. We have made no reply to this request. The memorandum in translation follows:

  • “(1) It is hoped that operation of Pan American Airways airplanes to Macao be suspended.
  • (2) If, however, such planes are required to put in at Macao, it is desired that they conform to the following items:
    (a)
    When proceeding to or leaving Macao and while in the area north of a line drawn east and west through Mabichow Light to take a true north and south course;
    (b)
    To take the shortest course practicable when flying between Macao and Hong Kong;
    (c)
    Altitude while on the courses above mentioned to be less than 500 metres.”

3. In view of the foregoing I shall concert with the British and French Ambassadors and early next week make representations to the Japanese Government along the lines contemplated.

Repeated to Hong Kong for Chungking.

Grew
  1. Not printed; it authorized the Ambassador to make a parallel approach with his British colleague to the Japanese Foreign Office (893.7961/35).↩