793.94/9934: Telegram
The Commander in Chief of the United States Asiatic Fleet (Yarnell) to the Chief of Naval Operations (Leahy)8
[Received September 6—7:20 p.m.]
0006. The following letter was received from Admiral Hasegawa yesterday addressed to American, British and French Admirals:
“My Dear Admirals: I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of September 4th in which you jointly draw my attention to serious consequences of the artillery duel of September 3d and suggested the removal of both Japanese and Chinese forces to certain points in order to safeguard the foreign lives and property.
I wish to state in reply that in view of the possibility of renewed attacks by the Chinese forces from outside the proposed demilitarized zone, and the defensive measures our warships will have to take in such event, the withdrawal of the Japanese and Chinese forces from the area such as you suggest will in no way effectively avoid the danger to which lives and property of the foreign area are exposed.
However, should you see your way to exert your influence to get the Chinese to agree to the complete evacuation of their armed forces (including the plain clothed snipers) from the undermentioned zone which I suggest, I shall be ready on my part to consider the nonbombardment of Pootung and Nantao by our men-of-war stationed above section 7.
I have the honour to be, your obedient servant, (signed) Kiyoshi Hasegawa, Commander in Chief, the Imperial Japanese Third Fleet.
Suggested area.
Those parts of Pootung and Nantao within a radius of 6 kilometers from the Pootung point starting from the neighborhood of the International Dockyard (Wo Foong) on the right bank of the Whangpoo, extending as far as the southern border of the French Concession.”
The following reply will be sent:
“Dear Admiral Hasegawa: We have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your letter of 5 September in answer to our note of 4 September, recommending and requesting that Japanese naval forces withdraw below section 7 of the river and that Chinese forces in Pootung withdraw to the eastward of Pootung Road and south of Changkaou Creek. The senior Italian naval representative in Shanghai would like it understood that he approves the recommendation and request contained in our note of 4 September and would like to be considered as having signed that note.
We have considered your letter and would like to make the following observations: Whereas you on your part are proposing that the Chinese withdraw from a large area, you, yourself, are not offering any corresponding withdrawal of your forces. Moreover, it is not clear to us why you consider that our proposal would in no way effectively avoid the danger to which lives and property in the foreign [Page 312] area are exposed. We would draw your attention to the fact that in our letter of September 4th we referred to that part of the International Settlement south of Soochow Creek and the French Concession to which we are endeavoring to prevent hostilities from spreading.
We therefore request once more that you earnestly consider our original proposal.
We have the honor to be sir, very sincerely yours, H. E. Yarnell, Admiral U. S. Navy; Charles Little, Admiral British Navy; LeBigot, Vice Admiral French Navy; V. Bacigalupi, Capitano di Frengata Italian Navy.”
- Copy transmitted to the Department by the Navy Department.↩