Office of the Historian

793.94/9057: Telegram

The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State

Tokyo, July 29, 1937—5 p.m.
[Received July 29—10:12 a.m.]

233. My 229, July 28, 4 p.m.

1.
The objective of the current Japanese military operations as explained in committees in the Diet and to foreign Military Attachés by the War Office are as follows:
(a)
Japanese operations including use of bombing by aircraft are intended to disperse concentrations of the Chinese 29th Army, Peiping and Tientsin, driving the 29th Army to the southwest of the Yungting River and to clear the area between the two cities of hostile Chinese forces. These operations are progressing favorably and should be completed shortly, perhaps by the end of next week.
(b)
A path has been left open from Peiping to the west and northwest for the peaceful withdrawal of Chinese units still in Peiping.
(c)
After the completion of current operations no further military action is contemplated unless the central Chinese troops now concentrated along and north of the Lunghai Railroad should proceed toward the North.
2.
The Military Attaché is informed by the War Office that the situation in Shantung is quiet. He was further informed that fighting in the vicinity of Tientsin, reported today, involves small bodies of troops and is not considered important. He was given the impression that the Japanese military expect that the situation around Peiping will be settled with the ousting of the 29th Army for the reason that [Page 293] reenforcements of that Army by the Central Chinese Government troops seems improbable.
3.
It is not yet known what naval steps are being taken by Japan. The Naval Attaché14 was told at the Navy Department this morning that notwithstanding press reports to the contrary no additional warships have been sent to China since the situation began to develop on July 7.
4.
There should be added to previous assurances of this character an assurance given to Byas15 by official of the Foreign Office that no planes or heavy guns will be used by the Japanese military to effect entrance into the walled city of Peiping.
5.
In order to protect our sources of military information this telegram has not been repeated to Nanking.
Grew
  1. Capt. Harold M. Bemis.↩
  2. Hugh Byas, Tokyo correspondent of the London Times and the New York Times.↩