793.94116/52: Telegram

The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State

368. Department’s 185, June 6, 7 p.m.,49 paragraph numbered 2.

1.
Taking the opportunity of my call today on the Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs in connection with the Scovel case,49a I said that I wished to speak informally with regard to the bombing by Japanese forces of civilian populations in China. I said distinctly that I was not making official representations and that in fact I had no instructions to do so, and that I was acting on my own initiative and from the point of view of Japanese-American relations. I said that, having worked steadily during the past six years for the maintenance and development of good relations between our two countries, I always felt constrained to point out to the Japanese Government, at least informally, issues and developments which in my opinion were likely to injure these relations. I said that I did not wish today to go into the technical aspects of these bombing operations nor approach the question of military objectives or of fortified or unfortified areas. What I did wish to do was to point out the deplorable effect on American public opinion when large numbers of civilian populations were killed or injured by large bombing operations anywhere and to raise the question whether the military advantage to be gained from such operations was sufficiently important to justify the inevitable harm which such wholesale slaughter must have on Japan’s reputation abroad, especially in the United States. I said that this seemed to me to be an aspect of the problem which chiefly concerned the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responsible as that Ministry is for Japan’s foreign relations. It seemed to me of the utmost importance that the Japanese Government should constantly bear in mind the deep humanitarian interest of the American Government and of the American people in the bombings of civilian populations wherever and however carried out.
2.
The Vice Minister expressed appreciation of the friendly way in which I had approached the subject and said that General Ugaki would be equally appreciative. He said that full consideration would be given to my observations and that in fact the Foreign Minister is [Page 597] now negotiating with the military authorities in connection with this problem.
3.
It was agreed that no publicity would be given to the foregoing conversation.

Repeated to Shanghai for Hankow.

Grew
  1. Not printed.
  2. Dr. Frederick G. Scovel, American missionary, wounded June 2, 1938, at Tsining, China, by a Japanese soldier.