893.00 Nanking/56: Telegram
The Minister in China (MacMurray) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 10—8:15 a.m.]
392. 1. The Ministers of the five interested powers met this morning. Lampson reported that he had been authorized to proceed with the demands concerning the Nanking affair without insisting that there be a previous agreement on the principle of sanctions among the interested powers.
2. The Japanese Government apparently was not inclined to agree to that principle in advance. I had not received the instructions which I had hoped for in response to my No. 368 of April 7, 11 a.m.51
3. I, and I believe my colleagues also, were convinced by conversations with Lampson that his Government is ready to assume the entire burden of action, if necessary, to obtain satisfaction for the affair at Nanking. Being confident that our demands and the threat accompanying them would not be allowed to remain the same [sic], I [agreed?] with my colleagues that we should have the demands delivered with as little delay as possible in the manner and form upon which we had already agreed (my No. 358 of April 5, noon [April 6, 7 a.m.]51), although the enforcement of the demands without the participation of the United States would be only less disastrous to American interests and position in the Far East than their remaining unenforced.
4. The following telegram was accordingly sent, mutatis mutandis, to our consuls at Hankow and Shanghai:52
“Urgent. 3. April 9, 1 p.m. The five Governments have now approved the terms of the demands for the settlement of the Nanking outrages. You are hereby instructed to concert with your four colleagues and to go with them on Monday (April 11) and simultaneously present to Chiang Kai-shek the terms already in your possession. Identical instructions are being sent to Hankow. You are authorized to take note of any verbal observations that Chiang may make at the time of presentation of the demands but as we regard the demands as not arguable you should refrain from any discussion. The terms of the demands will be released for publication in Washington, Monday afternoon, and in the other capitals and in China on Tuesday (April 12th) accompanied by a statement which will be telegraphed to you separately but which is not for communication to Chiang. Please report urgently to the Legation and to the Department when you have presented the demands.”
5. With reference to your telegram 121 of April 2, 8 p.m.,53 please note the agreement reached concerning publication. I suggest that as it is not possible to foresee definitely the time at which the demands will be presented to Eugene Ch’en and Chiang Kai-shek, the Department make its announcement to the effect that instructions have been sent to the consuls to deliver such demands on April 11 if possible.
6. The following is the text of the public statement to be issued at the same time that the demands are made public.54
“Upon the entry of the Nationalist forces into Nanking there were perpetrated against the foreign consuls and other residents by uniformed and organized bodies of troops of the Nationalist armies, during the morning and afternoon of March 24th, systematic outrages upon their persons and properties. A number of Americans, British, French, Italians and Japanese Nationals were murdered or wounded; many others were brutally assaulted and their lives jeopardized; they were robbed and treated with the utmost indignities; and women were subjected to nameless outrages. The American, British, and Japanese Consulates were violated and their national flags insulted. The houses and institutions of all foreigners resident in Nanking were systematically looted and in many cases burned.
In view of these manifestly premeditated assaults upon their official representatives and upon their nationals peacefully engaged in their lawful occupations, the Governments of the United States, Great Britain, France, Italy and Japan have found it necessary to formulate demands for satisfactory amends by the responsible Nationalist authorities. The terms thus agreed upon are studiously moderate, covering only the minimum of what would in the circumstances be done by way of honorable amends by any Government conscious of its own dignity and of its duty to other friendly peoples in the family of nations.
These demands are not made in derogation of the sovereignty or dignity of the Chinese people whom the interested Governments are glad to believe friendly and with whom they earnestly desire to continue and improve relationships of good will and cooperation. They are directed rather towards those influences, both foreign and Chinese, which made themselves responsible for the Nanking outrages by their activities in seeking to break up the existing friendship and to inflame the Chinese people to distrust, hate and violence towards the people of the friendly powers.”
7. As a report was later received that Chiang Kai-shek had left Shanghai we sent the following telegram to our consuls there:55
“4. April 9, 4 p.m. A report reaches us that General Chiang has left or is leaving Shanghai for Nanking. If correct you are authorized to present demands to his local military representative (believed to be General Pei) for immediate communication to Chiang.”
8. Repeated to Tokyo.