793.94/2053
The Minister in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 10.]
Sir: With reference to the Legation’s telegram No. 578, of September 12, 5 p.m., concerning the Nakamura incident, I have the honor to transmit herewith an interesting editorial on this subject, which appeared in the Peking & Tientsin Times, in three sections, on September 9, 10, and 11, 1931.12
The first section of the editorial asserts that Captain Shintaro Nakamura, of the Japanese General Staff, and said to be a spy, was executed by Chinese soldiers of the Khingan Reclamation Army, in the bandit-infested Solun region of Manchuria, where (according to the second section) he was traveling presumably to investigate the interesting reclamation, colonization and agricultural enterprise which is being carried out in this area, but very possibly to collect political and economic information that would be of interest to the Japanese General Staff.
The Nakamura incident has greatly incensed the Japanese and has led the military clique to demand strong action, if not the occupation of portions of Manchuria itself. Following as it does upon the anti-Chinese riots in Korea, it has tended to counteract the anti-Japanese propaganda in the Chinese press and may possibly result in a toning down of the Chinese demands upon the Japanese Government for satisfaction and an indemnity for the victims of the riots.
[Page 10]It is well known that the Japanese grievances against China are many and, as pointed out in the enclosed editorial, the Nakamura incident is but an expression of the growing animosity between the Chinese and Japanese in Manchuria. So long as the settled policy of the Chinese authorities in Manchuria is one of obstruction and hostility to the Japanese, such incidents are bound to occur and any one of them might precipitate a serious crisis.
Further details of this case are to be found in the press clippings being transmitted to the Department by the same pouch as this despatch.
A second and more thorough investigation is now being conducted by the Chinese authorities, and the Legation will not fail to keep the Department fully informed of subsequent developments.
Respectfully yours,
- Not reprinted.↩