793.94/10031: Telegram
The Commander in Chief of the United States Asiatic Fleet (Yarnell) to the Chief of Naval Operations (Leahy)23
[Received September 11—3:27 p.m.]
0111. Following is translation letter dated 10, September from Admiral Hasegawa, Commander-in-Chief Imperial Japanese Third [Page 323] Fleet, addressed to Commanders-in-Chief American, British, French, and officer commanding Italian Naval Forces Far East:
“H. I. J. M. S. Idzumo, Flagship, Imperial Third Fleet. My Dear Admirals: I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 6th instant in which you raised certain questions as to my views contained in my letter of September 5 regarding the proposed withdrawal of the Japanese and Chinese forces from Pootung area. In regard to the first point raised in your observations, I should like to point out that, in the first place to withdraw my naval forces from the present positions will impede the satisfactory performance of the duties of the Japanese Navy in that it will make it extremely difficult to afford adequate protection to the International Settlement north of Soochow Creek where the Japanese Consulate General and the principal residential quarters of the Japanese are located and that secondly ships as are situated at present cannot be blamed for the fact that on September 3 shells fell within the International Settlement but rather poor marksmanship of the Chinese or possibly their deliberate intention might well be regarded to be responsible for it. I am inclined to believe that past experience shows that the safety of the International Settlement south of Soochow Creek as well as the French Concession cannot be assured unless the Chinese forces are withdrawn from areas of considerable large extent.
In regard to the second point raised in your observation I should like to state that in the first place in order to assure the safety of the Settlement and the Concession it will be necessary for the Chinese forces to withdraw from area larger in extent than was specified in your original proposal and at least as extensive as was mentioned in my proposal because the Chinese or rather their intention might be taken into account and that deliberate intention might be taken into account24 and that in the second place if such an inextensive area as was proposed by you is set for the withdrawal of the Japanese and Chinese forces there may arise the necessity for my ship to shell from points down river the Chinese troops situated just outside the said area and a situation may arise therefrom that our forces are unable to assure the safety of the International Settlement and the French Concession.
Under the circumstances I am constrained to think that the objects envisaged in your communication cannot be attained under the conditions as specified in your proposal.”