393.1163 Am 3/626
The Consul General at Canton (Myers) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 23.]
Sir: I have the honor to inform the Department that this office has received from Bishop A. J. Paschang of the American Catholic (Mary-knoll) Mission at Kongmoon, Kwangtung, who has just returned from a tour of the missions under his jurisdiction, an account of incidents involving the missions at Chekkai, Toishan City and Yeungkong, Kwangtung, during the landing of Japanese forces along the Kwangtung coast the first week in March 1941* Also included in the letter, a copy of which is enclosed,57 was a report of an incident which occurred at the Mission on Sancian Island, Kwangtung, on March 22, 1941.
It will be noted that according to the report groups of soldiers entered the mission buildings at Toishan City at all hours, breaking locks and ransacking. The American flag over the door and a bicycle were taken away by one group but later returned. When the priest in charge caught two soldiers creating a disturbance in the hospital, one of them gave him several blows on the head and the two soldiers then departed. One party of soldiers forced the priest to open his safe and hand over his money. Another group forced him to sign a paper stating that he would make no protest against the actions of the soldiers in the mission. The priest was unable to get in touch with responsible Japanese officers to have the violations of the mission stopped.
At Yeungkong, although the mission was clearly marked with American flags, one group of soldiers after another invaded the premises and roamed through the buildings. Several articles were taken but later returned. One soldier asked the priest in charge if he was American. When the priest replied that he was, the soldier remarked, “All Americans are spies”, and struck him on the jaw. One party of soldiers entering the convent claimed that one of the American sisters had a gun hidden in her clothing and ordered her to disrobe. When she refused they tried to use force. Noise caused by the struggle [Page 892] attracted other members of the mission, and the soldiers eventually departed. All attempts to have the soldiers abstain from such outrageous acts were in vain until several days after the invasion, when officers posted notices at the mission entrances warning soldiers to keep out.
The Bishop also reported that on March 22, 1941 a small Japanese ship anchored off Sancian Island and two soldiers, one evidently an officer, came ashore and complained insolently to Father John H. Joyce, in charge of the mission at that place, that no one had come to meet them. The report continues:
“They then went to search a nearby village and found an old rifle and some cartridges. They came back to the mission with the gun and the one who carried it gestured angrily to Father Joyce to back away a few steps, and said in English: ‘Kill! Kill!’ Father Joyce walked back a few steps, then turned to face the Japanese. Meanwhile, several other Japanese from the gunboat had come to the mission, among them an officer in blue uniform with three red stripes on his arm. This officer made no attempt to stop the other, but busied himself taking pictures of the church, while the other loaded the gun and fired it at Father Joyce. Fortunately, he missed by an inch or two, whether intentionally or not. Then the Japanese all departed from the mission. Later, the officer in blue uniform returned and wrote on a piece of paper that he was sorry, but he couldn’t prevent his underling from firing the gun.”
There is enclosed a copy of my letter of August 13, 1941 to the Japanese Consul General58 protesting against the above-reported actions and requesting that the cases be brought to the attention of responsible Japanese authorities with a view to the prevention of such outrages in future. I have also written Bishop Paschang urging that should such incidents occur in future they be reported to this office without delay.
Summary
According to a report from the Bishop in charge, Japanese soldiers during the month of March 1941 invaded several missions in the Kongmoon Vicariate of the American Catholic Mission, committing acts of violence against American missionaries, both male and female, and looting property belonging to the missions. This office has protested to the Japanese Consul General against these acts and requested that these cases be brought to the attention of responsible Japanese authorities with a view to the prevention of such outrages in future.59 Bishop Paschang has been requested to report such incidents promptly to this office in future.
Respectfully yours,
- Despatch no. 255, April 30, 1941, entitled “Japanese Invasion of Southwest Coast of Kwangtung.” [Footnote in the original; despatch not printed.]↩
- Not printed.↩
- Not printed.↩
- The Japanese Consul General in a letter dated November 11 denied that Japanese forces committed the acts reported (393.1163 Am 3/645).↩