793.94/3960: Telegram
The Minister in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received February 5—12:55 a.m.]
The Japanese now have three cruisers and four destroyers lying in the river directly opposite Nanking, all cleared for action and with guns manned and trained on the city.
This force seems to me unnecessarily large if its mission is simply for the protection of known legitimate Japanese interests at Nanking especially as the Japanese colony was evacuated to ships in the river some time ago. Such naval display appears to be for no other purpose than to intimidate the Chinese Government. But the presence here of so many Japanese war vessels with obviously unfriendly intent also tends to provoke incidents, as the events of the night of February 1st and 2nd clearly proved. The Chinese population is in a state of panic, business is at a standstill, banks are closed, and the heads of the Government have left for Loyang. So long as the Japanese naval vessels remain the people will continue to feel terrorized and render the normal functioning of administration impossible. Moreover Chinese troops in the vicinity hearing of events at Shanghai and Woosung and aroused as they are to a feeling of exasperation may at any moment commit some rash act and thereby precipitate Japanese retaliation with disastrous consequences to the city.
I feel that representations might therefore appropriately be made in Tokyo with a view to persuading the Japanese Government of the uselessness of keeping up this state of affairs by the continued presence of its warships at Nanking with threat implied by constant visible evidence of men at quarters and guns pointed. It seems to me one ship for observation purposes and protection of Japanese consular staff should be adequate. I have discussed the above facts with my French and British colleagues who agree with me that the situation should not be allowed to continue without some protest on our part and they are suggesting to their respective Governments that representations be made as tactfully as possible to Tokyo with a view to having the Japanese consent to withdraw all but one of their present units here. We believe that such a move would help greatly to ameliorate the [Page 208] situation here and aid in creating an atmosphere favorable to negotiation.
Repeated to Peking and Tokyo.