Office of the Historian

793.94/3902/1

The Commander of the Fourth Regiment, United States Marines (Hooker), to the Commander in Chief, United States Asiatic Fleet (Taylor)86

[Shanghai, January 30, 1932—3:55 p.m.]

Defense Committee met 1000 [10 a.m.] No Japanese present. Brigadier Fleming stated object of meeting discussion of Japanese disregard of neutrality of International Settlement. Facts: Two armed Japanese patrols yesterday passed through British sector and demolished railroad bridge west of Jessfield Park, 500 Japanese in barracks in U. S. Marine sector constantly patrolling sector in spite of one written and two oral protests and assurances by Japanese of stopping it, unauthorized occupation and refusal to vacate gate and clock house in Shanghai volunteer sector between two units of volunteers, arming civilian Japanese reservists not in uniform to police districts east of Szechuan Road between Settlement boundaries and Whangpoo River. Chinese and volunteers clashed last night, several volunteers wounded when Japanese fell back towards volunteer sector in regaining own line, in darkness Chinese fired into and received return fire from volunteer. Chinese notified volunteer commander that if Japanese continued [Page 120] to use Settlement to issue from and retreat into and volunteers supported them by fire Chinese would disregard neutrality and consider that other nations were supporting Japanese. Decision of meeting: Municipal Council to visit consular and diplomatic representatives with request that they visit Japanese Admiral and strongly protest against armed Japanese patrolling and using International Settlement as stated above and that military commanders immediately give their consular and diplomatic representatives detailed information; this was done by the British, French, Italian, and U. S. military present at meeting. Opinions of military commanders of nations mentioned consider present forces sufficient unless Japanese continue violating their promises and the neutrality of the Settlement.

  1. Copy of telegram transmitted to the Department by the Navy Department, January 30.↩