793.94/11459: Telegram
The Consul General at Shanghai (Gauss) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 5—10:35 a.m.]
1091. Following is text of confidential report dated December 4th submitted to the Shanghai Municipal Council by the Commissioner of Police:
“On the evening of yesterday, 3d December, at about 5:45 p.m., I proceeded with Mr. Aiers, D. C. (Deputy Commissioner) to a shop on Nanking Road near Kwangsi Road where the Japanese Military had established a temporary office, and there I met Colonel Kusumoto, Assistant Military Attaché to the Japanese Embassy. Colonel Kusumoto having cleared the room of all but Japanese military officers and my own officers including Mr. Young, D. C, through Mr. Uyehara, D. C. (Japanese), acting interpreter, made following statement:
Speaking for General Matsui, he intimated that the Japanese military authorities took a serious view of an incident in which a foreigner at Szechuan Road had broken a Japanese flag and considered that the police were responsible for not preventing such incidents. He further stated that Japanese military, being now in occupation of the territory surrounding Shanghai, had the right to move troops through the Settlement and would do so again without notice.
He then requested a guarantee that such an incident as the bomb throwing would not occur again. I informed him that I could not give such a guarantee, but was prepared to guarantee that the police would do their best to prevent such incidents. He then stated that if such incidents occur again, the Japanese military authorities would consider that the police were not capable of maintaining order and would take such appropriate action as they wished.
Having made this statement, he informed me that the Japanese military troops would be withdrawn, and asked for protection for [Page 762] them on their way out of the Settlement, and requested us to provide means of conveyance. This was arranged.
In the course of the next 2 hours they prepared some document in Japanese and English which they eventually expressed a desire that I should sign. I read the document, which purported to be a memorandum of the conversation. I made it clear that I would only sign it as such and that I could not sign any agreement that Japanese troops could pass through the Settlement. I was assured that they understood the limit of my authority and that the document was merely a memorandum of our conversation which was required for record purposes. To make my position clear, I endorsed on the copy a statement to the effect that I had read and understood what was written, and that I would bring the contents to the notice of the Council, and that as far as the police were concerned, every effort would be made to prevent a similar incident.
This document having been signed, Japanese military withdrew at about 2:40 p.m., and Nanking Road was open for traffic by 9 p.m., normal police duties being established.
I would suggest that the Council take into serious consideration announcement by the Japanese military representatives that the Japanese troops would march through the Settlement in future unannounced and if any incident happened they would take appropriate action they considered necessary.
It is impossible for the police to carry out their normal duties under such circumstances, and it is also not in their power to prevent the Japanese military authorities doing what they announce they intend to do. If it is to be made possible for the police to function satisfactorily, this question must be checkmated by higher authorities immediately, if the interests of the Settlement are not to suffer.”