893.01 Manchuria/373: Telegram

The Minister in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State

903. Following from American Consul General at Mukden:

“August 4, noon. According to private information Newchwang was attacked by a large number of bandits during the evening and night of August 2nd and severe street fighting occurred until early dawn when the bandits withdrew in the direction of Tienchuangtai along the Newchwang-Koupangtsu line. Press reports state that Manchukuo and Japanese troops including a naval landing party engaged the bandits. Banditry had been becoming more rife in that vicinity in recent weeks and on August 2nd Japanese reenforcements comprising a military detachment and several destroyers arrived. Press reports also state that bandits made a serious assault on the Japanese barracks at the Japanese railway town of Haicheng throughout the night of August 2nd withdrawing about daybreak. They cut the telegraph, telephone and electric-light wires. All traffic on the railway was suspended for hours. These daring attacks and recent reports of increasing bandit activity indicate the growing seriousness of the situation in this province, a large part of which is overrun by, or in the control of, bandits or insurgents.”

Code text to Tokyo by mail.

Johnson