893.00/3653

The Japanese Ambassador (Shidehara) to the Acting Secretary of State

Sir: It has been brought to my attention that on the night of March 12, 1919, an unfortunate mêlée took place at Tientsin between certain American soldiers and Japanese civilians. On the Japanese side, three were badly wounded in the Japanese Concession, and seven others, in the adjoining French Concession. Amid the disturbances, one American soldier was arrested in the French Concession by the Japanese military and police authorities, while another was seriously injured by the disorderly crowd and was also taken from that Concession to the Japanese police station.

Shortly thereafter, the American Consul-General visited the Japanese police station, and, in answer to the question which he had put to the Chief of Police, he was given to understand that no American soldier was being detained at the station. The reply of the Chief of Police was admittedly inexact and misleading, since two American soldiers were actually there under detention.

On the following day, March 13, four American soldiers entered the premises of the Japanese Consulate-General at Tientsin, and [Page 26] painfully assaulted, without any provocation, an official of the South Manchuria Railway Company who happened to be standing at the entrance of the house.

It would not be necessary to describe further particulars of the incident. The whole controversy is regrettable, and, in the belief of the Japanese Government, it should speedily be brought to a friendly settlement, each Government being ready to do justice to the other.

Accordingly, under authorization of my Government, I have the honor to tender to the Government of the United States an expression of sincere regret for the illegal arrest of American soldiers by the Japanese authorities at Tientsin, and for the misleading statement of the Chief of the Japanese Police at Tientsin in reply to the American Consul-General as to the presence of soldiers detained in the Japanese police station on the night of March 12, 1919.

Accept [etc.]

K. Shidehara