393.115/440
Memorandum by the First Secretary of the American
Embassy in Japan (McGurk) of a Conversation With the Director of the American
Bureau of the Japanese Foreign Office (Yoshizawa)
[
Tokyo
,] July 16, 1938.
I took up with Mr. Yoshizawa this afternoon the question of the
discrepancies between the statement which the Japanese Government
desired published with the note of July 6, 1938, and the figures
reported by Shanghai of the number of Americans permitted to return to
Nanking.
After some discussion Mr. Yoshizawa agreed to substitute the following:
- “1. The Japanese military forces withdrew from the
University of Shanghai on July 5;
- “2. At the end of last month consent was given to the
issuance of permits to one employee each of the Standard Oil
and Texas Companies respectively to proceed to Nanking.
According to reports to the Japanese Government, the
Japanese authorities on the spot had issued thirty-five
permits enabling missionaries, physicians and others of
American nationality to return to Nanking during the months
of May and June. However, the record of the American
Consulate General in Shanghai shows that twenty permits were
issued through that office. The discrepancy is apparently
due to the fact that some of these American citizens may
have applied directly to the Japanese authorities, thus
accounting for the thirty-five mentioned in the Japanese
reports.
- “3. With reference to the applications of fourteen
American missionaries to return to Soochow, a report was
received from the authorities on the spot stating that, as
of the end of June, permits were shortly to have been issued
for the return of all fourteen missionaries (in fact,
permits had already been issued to six of them).”
