394.1141 Singer Sewing Machine Co./9: Telegram
The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State
[Received January 18—10:20 a.m.]
19. My 288, December 29, noon.23 The Consulate at Yokohama reports that at 12:30 today a band of 200 workmen attacked the offices of the Singer Sewing Machine Company in that city and almost completely demolished the interior. They destroyed all windows, doors, records, papers, typewriters and most of the furniture. The company states that the loss in contracts destroyed by the attackers runs into the hundreds of thousand dollars. The building belongs to a Swiss firm. Two Japanese employees are reported seriously injured but the Americans who were present in the building were unharmed. Although the attackers marched for some distance through the streets, the police did not appear on the scene until after the damage had been done. They then arrested 138 of the attackers.
As the Department has been informed, the Embassy has repeatedly asked the Foreign Office to arrange for adequate police protection for the company’s personnel and property. In view of the seriousness of the present incident I sought an immediate interview this afternoon with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and after orally laying before him the facts as brought to the Embassy’s attention I asked that an investigation be made and that steps be taken by the Japanese authorities to accord adequate police protection in future. I said that I was not approaching him with regard to the merits of the strike itself, as this was a private industrial dispute, but that at the present moment my chief concern was for the future protection of American life and property in Japan. Count Uchida replied that he would institute an immediate investigation into the facts of the incident of which he knew nothing and that every effort would be made to accord adequate protection to American life and property in future.
I am informed that the Yokohama police had been warned that trouble of this kind might be expected today and they had promised protection. I brought this to the attention of the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the interview. The Minister inquired whether the police had failed to give sufficient protection in the past to which I replied in the affirmative. I furthermore told the Minister of the highly [Page 717] unfortunate impression which the present incident would create in the United States.
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