893.00/11314
The Consul General at Hankow (Lockhart) to the Minister in China (Johnson)7
Sir: I have the honor to refer to my despatch L. No. 1060 of September 18 [19], 1930,7a on the above mentioned subject,8 and to enclose [Page 207] herewith, for the Legation’s information, copies of correspondence exchanged between this Consulate General and local officials, as listed below8a concerning repeated attacks on American naval and merchant vessels navigating the Yangtze river.
In addition to the representations disclosed by the correspondence herewith and heretofore transmitted to the Legation, I beg to state that I have on several occasions discussed with General Ho Chen-chun and his chief-of-staff the indiscriminate firing on American vessels on the river between Hankow and Kiukiang and between Hankow and Ichang. The result of these conferences has invariably been promises on the part of the Chinese authorities to exert their utmost efforts towards suppressing the activities of those responsible for the attacks. For the past five or six days there have been no instances of the firing on foreign vessels between Hankow and Kiukiang and it is my understanding that this is due to the fact that troops were sent to that area and that they succeeded in dispersing the bands responsible for the attacks. General Ho assures me that troops are now en route to the area between Chenglingki and Shasi with a view to suppressing communist bandits in that vicinity who have been firing on passing vessels. It is hoped that the troops will succeed in their mission in these two areas, as the firing thereabouts has been particularly severe.
I have [etc.]