Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1940, The Far East, Volume IV

393.115/997: Telegram

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

Washington, September 27, 1940—6 p.m.

368. Your 837, September 14, 9 a.m.,¹⁴ 842, September 16, 5 p.m.,¹³ and 878, September 22, 2 p.m.¹⁵ The Department heartily approves the approach you have made to the Foreign Minister.¹⁶

It seems to the Department that the continued bombing of American properties in China by Japanese aircraft and the completely inexcusable multiple bombings of certain property do not, unless such bombings cease immediately, warrant the withholding longer from the American public full information in regard to (1) the number and extent of these bombings since the beginning of the Sino-Japanese hostilities; (2) the protests which have been lodged against them with the Japanese Government and the unsatisfactory response which the Japanese Government has made to our representations—a response whose unsatisfactory nature is not only reflected in the general weakness of the explanations offered but also in the continuance and repetition of the bombings; and (3) the fact that although properties have been marked with American flags and otherwise and the Japanese authorities have been furnished maps showing the location of American properties, some properties have been repeatedly bombed to an extent which makes unavoidable an assumption that these bombings were deliberate.

The record of representations and replies which we have under consideration for publication include this Government’s formal note to the Japanese Government dated March 30, 1939;¹⁸ oral representations made May 11, 1939, to the Japanese Foreign Minister by you;¹⁹ the Japanese Government’s reply of May 17, 1939;²⁰ to this Government’s note of March 30, 1939; this Government’s formal note to the Japanese Government dated May 22, 1939;²¹ Mr. Dooman’s representations to the Foreign Minister of June 19, 1939;²² and your note of September 13, 1940 (referred to in your 837, September 14, 9 a.m.), which the Department would appreciate receiving by radio via Shanghai in full text.

In view of your 878, September 22, 2 p.m., particularly the Foreign Minister’s statement, as mentioned in the last substantive paragraph of that telegram, the Department suggests that you wait for what you consider a reasonable time to determine whether or not effective action is being taken by the Japanese Government to halt the bombings; that at the expiration of such time you advise the Department; and that you proceed to inform Mr. Matsuoka that full information in regard to the bombings, as indicated above, will be released to the public. You may say that it has been the long-established practice of this Government to keep the American public as fully informed as practicable with regard to events affecting American rights and interests in foreign countries, that consequent upon an expression of desire on the part of the Japanese Government that publication of documents and full data relating to cases of bombing of American properties be withheld, this Government had been encouraged to hope that effective measures of a preventive character would be devised by the Japanese Government but that, in view of the continuance with undiminished vigor of attacks on American properties in China, the Department is reluctantly forced to the conclusion that no useful purpose would be served by further delay in making available to the American public information regarding the extent and character of damage inflicted upon American properties in China by Japanese forces during the current hostilities.

With particular reference to your 842, September 16, 5 p.m., in which mention is made of the “tenth bombing” of the Methodist Episcopal mission, and for the purposes of the record, it appears from the reports of the bombing of American Methodist mission properties at Chungking received by the Department that those properties are situated in two separate areas (one in the Daijihang—or Tachiahang—section near the banking district and the other in the western part of the city) and have together been bombed eleven times. It is believed that the western district properties include the Suteh Girls’ school, a hospital, a church (the Lewis Memorial Church?) and certain residences, and that the Daijihang compound includes a hospital, a church and residences. Chungking is hereby requested to clarify this aspect of the matter for your and the Department’s information.

Sent to Tokyo via Shanghai. Repeated to Chungking, Peiping. Shanghai please repeat to Chungking and to Peiping Tokyo’s telegram 837, September 14, 9 a.m.

Hull

14. Not printed, but see note No. 1630, September 13, from the American Ambassador in Japan to the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs, Foreign Relations, Japan, 1931–1941, Vol. i, p. 695.
13. Not printed.
15. Ibid., p. 697.
16. Yosuke Matsuoka.
18. Foreign Relations. Japan, 1931–1941, Vol. i, p. 643.
19. See memorandum by the Ambassador in Japan, May 11, 1939, ibid., p. 646.
20. See telegram No. 238, May 19, 1939, 4 p.m., from the Chargé in Japan, ibid., p. 649.
21. See telegram No. 241, May 22, 1939, 6 p.m., from the Chargé in Japan, ibid., p. 650.
22. See telegram No. 283, June 19, 1939, 7 p.m., Foreign Relations, 1939, Vol. iv, p. 342.