793.94/4893
The Consul General at Shanghai (Cunningham) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 26.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to this Consulate General’s telegram No. 8 of February 6, 5 p.m., advising the appointment by the Consular Body of a committee to make recommendations regarding the disposition to be made of certain Chinese detained by the Japanese and handed over to the Shanghai Municipal Council. This committee is composed of:
- Mr. N. Aall, Consul General for Norway.
- Mr. P. Grant Jones, Assistant Judge H. B. M. Supreme Court.
- Mr. G. Ros, First Secretary of the Italian Legation.
- Mr. R. T. Bryan, Jr., Municipal Advocate.
There is enclosed herewith a copy of the report of this committee to the Senior Consul.32 The report is transmitted as information and in particular to complete the record of one of the least justified of the acts of the Japanese military authorities in the Settlement. It will be noted that Mr. Aall states that he was informed through the Secretary of the Consular Body on February 9, 1932, that the Japanese [Page 311] authorities did not have any charges against any of the Chinese handed over. This was confirmed by Mr. Aall later in a conversation with Mr. Murai, the Japanese Consul General. One can not but surmise what would have been the condition of these prisoners had the Shanghai Municipal Council not made a protest, and the Consular Body followed this protest up with a request for the release of the prisoners to the Shanghai Municipal Council authorities.
Respectfully yours,
- Circular No. 42–M–XIII of February 10; not printed.↩