793.94112/230: Telegram
The Consul at Tsingtao (Sokobin) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 2—7:30 a.m.]
41. Referring to my telegram 21, dated January 30, 9 a.m.,6 this Consulate has just received from the Japanese Consulate General a letter reading as follows:
“At the instance of the Japanese authorities, I hasten to inform you that it has become peremptory from the necessity of naval operations to request all the vessels of the third powers to stay away from the district within a radius of 40 nautical miles of the mouth of the Sheyang River, Kiangsu Province, by sunrise of the 4th March 1939. It has also to be made clear beforehand that the Japanese Navy is not in a position to take responsibility for any loss or damage that may be caused to the vessels of the third powers by disregarding, intentionally or otherwise, the above mentioned warning.
“I have the honor therefore to request you to be so inclined as to transmit the above information to the interested parties under your jurisdiction.”
Shanghai please inform Commander-in-Chief.
- Not printed.↩