Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1937, The Far East, Volume III

793.94/8711: Telegram

Peiping, July 12, 1937—3 p.m.
[Received July 12—8:15 a.m.]

223. Embassy’s 219, July 11, 10 p.m. and 221, July 12, 1 a.m.

1.: Confirmation of reports of Japanese demands or Chinese agreement is unobtainable. [A Japanese] who is closely associated with Japanese military states that Lieutenant Colonel Matsui, Resident Officer in Peiping of the North China garrison, handed at 8 p.m. yesterday at Peiping to the Mayor of Tientsin a memorandum [calling for] (1) expression regret by Chinese responsible for the affair, (2) punishment of Chinese responsible, (3) withdrawal of Chinese forces from the vicinity of Marco Polo Bridge and (4) suppression of activities of Blue Shirts and Communists. According to this source, the Mayor of Tientsin acknowledged the receipt of the memorandum. The informant states that most of the Japanese troops have withdrawn from the area of fighting; a Japanese official states that some 200 Kash [Japanese] troops still remain in the area.
2.: The first-mentioned source states that Sung Che Yuan and Kazuki64 are expected to arrive in Peiping this afternoon.

Repeated to Nanking, Shanghai and Tokyo.

Johnson