793.94/10886: Telegram
The Commander in Chief of the United States Asiatic Fleet (Yarnell) to the Chief of Naval Operations
[Received 6 a.m.]
0029. Following from Vice Admiral Hasegawa dated and received 28 October: [Page 514]
“My Dear Admiral Yarnell: I have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your letter of 24 October in regard to shells and bombs which have fallen in the sector guarded by the United States Marine forces.
The commanding officer of the United States Marines has in the past made frequent representations to the commanding officer of the Japanese naval landing party in regard to this matter, and I can assure you that the Japanese forces also are desirous of preventing incidents of this kind. I regret very much the incident of 22 October, when an object dropped by a Japanese plane fell in the United States Marine sector, and, on the following day, I sent a member of my staff to express official regrets to the commanding officer of the United States Marine forces.
The above incident occurred when three Japanese planes in formations which had completed their bombing operations in Chapei were returning to the north of Soochow Creek. One of these planes, through error, dropped an emergency gasoline tank which, being light, was blown by a northeast wind into the United States Marine sector and which burned when it struck. That it was not a bomb is clear from the facts that it did not explode and that the object came from only one plane of a three-plane formation which had already completed bombing operations. I believe that you will agree with me in regard to the above facts.
I am in entire agreement with your statements that it is necessary to prevent these incidents, and I assure you that I have directed the Japanese naval forces to exercise greater care in the future.
Respectfully yours, K. Hasegawa, Vice Admiral Commander in Chief Third Fleet.” 1009.