793.94/5731
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the Chinese Legation15
With regard to the Japanese surprise attack and occupation of Shanhaikwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the following statement late in the night of January 4, 1933:
Before commencing their attack upon Shanhaikwan, the Japanese gendarmes first blew up the doors of their headquarters and then scattered some hand grenades elsewhere in the neighborhood with the intention of fabricating a defensive case. Then, at 9:30 p.m., January 1st, 1933, Japanese plain-clothes soldiers closed in upon the South Gate of Shanhaikwan and opened fire with rifles. At the same time, [Page 11] Japanese soldiers at the railway station began to throw bombs all around while Japanese gendarmes also started action with their rifles. The Chinese military authorities stationed in the district immediately repaired to the headquarters of the Japanese gendarmes and enquired for the cause of the trouble. The Japanese gendarmerie not only failed to give a satisfactory explanation for the disturbance besides the customary excuse that they were being shot at by Chinese soldiers and that they were acting in self-defense but also brought up a set of most unreasonable demands which the Chinese authorities on the spot could only reject.
The Japanese gendarmes thereupon proceeded to disarm the Chinese policemen stationed outside of the South Gate and at the same time placed commanding officer Mr. Ma under detention. At 8:00 in the morning of January 2, three train loads of Japanese artillery and infantry were brought up from Chien-Wei, a point to the north of Shanhaikwan, numbering more than 3,000 men in total. Meanwhile, three Japanese armored trains that had been previously stationed there moved onto and occupied the Nan-Kwan railway station and Li-Chia-Kou, Wu-Yen-Chen and Wu-Chia-Lin—three other points on the railway line. From these positions the Japanese opened fire on Shanhaikwan. Simultaneously Japanese aeroplanes bombed the city from the air. Many Chinese civilians were killed in the city and great damage was done to the city wall. Chinese garrison forces at last were compelled to return fire in self-defense and owing to their stubborn resistance, the Japanese failed in their first attempt to carry the city.
More Japanese reinforcements were then brought up and two Japanese warships came to the assistance from the sea. At 10: 00 a.m. on January 3, the Japanese made a concerted attack with the land, naval and air forces, concentrating fire on the city of Lin-Yu. Heavy field pieces supported by naval artillery finally reduced the South Gate to ruins, besides setting many houses on fire. Under the cover of continuous barrage, Japanese tanks advanced on the South Gate and finally broke through at 3:00 p.m. on the same day. In the face of the enemy’s overwhelming superiority both in numbers and in equipment, the Chinese troops, fighting as hard as they could, were finally compelled to fall back to points outside of the city wall.
That the attack and the occupation of Shanhaikwan by the Japanese military forces are premeditated action is most evident. The blow-up of doors of their own headquarters before commencing the attack and the subsequent charge that the Chinese started the hostilities are old tricks which had been habitually resorted to by the Japanese military and familiar to the whole world. Furthermore, the fact that the attack took place at the time when the whole world [Page 12] is out celebrating the New Year and when the League of Nations is also in adjournment proves conclusively that the Japanese military purposely selected this particular moment to carry out their premeditated plan.
The League of Nations in successive sessions had adopted Resolutions against any further aggravation of the situation and these Resolutions had been assented to by the Japanese government. But in spite of these Resolutions as well as their own undertakings, the Japanese have been constantly extending the sphere of their military aggressions in China. They now took possession by a surprise attack of the most strategic points south of the Great Wall bordering the Three North-Eastern Provinces whence they are in a position to descend upon Tientsin, Peiping and Jehol at any moment they like—an eventuality fraught with even more grave consequences. The Chinese government, therefore, is of the opinion that the League of Nations should lose no time in taking the most effective measures to check the Japanese action while, in the meantime, the Chinese military forces will continue to resist to the best of their ability any further aggression on the part of the Japanese troops.
- Copy of telegram transmitted to the Department by the Chinese Legation on January 7.↩