793.94/9622: Telegram
The Consul General at Shanghai (Gauss) to the Secretary of State
[Received 7:35 p.m.]
541. At about 1 o’clock this afternoon two air bombs landed in Settlement south of Soochow Creek; one near Standard Oil Building about one block from Consulate General and one on Nanking Road near Wing On Department Store. First mentioned bomb struck warehouse used by United States Navy and American firms but did not explode. This understood to be a 1,000-pound bomb. Other bomb exploded killing at least 200 Chinese and wounding several hundred more. Anthony J. Billingham71 of San Diego, California, bearer Shanghai passport 3885 issued March 18, seriously injured.
There is doubt as to nationality of bombing plane which is described but [by?] an observer as large silver colored monoplane which was seen to drop bombs at an elevation of about 5,000 feet. There was no anti-aircraft fire against plane but most Japanese men-of-war had left river to cover landing Japanese troops at Woosung. There were several Japanese planes in the air at the time but over another section of Shanghai. There is some suspicion bombing plane was converted China National Aviation field plane but there is nothing definite to support this.
Repeated to Department, Nanking, and Peiping.
- A representative of the New York Times.↩