393.1163 American Church Mission/16: Telegram
The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 10—7 a.m.]
612. Our 552, November 19, 1 p.m.,36 American Church Mission, Wusih. The following is text in translation of the reply of the Foreign Office: [Page 398]
“Tokyo, December 6, 1937, No. 150. Note verbale. The Japanese Foreign Office has the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the memorandum of November 19 from the United States Embassy in Tokyo stating that on November 12 the property at Wusih belonging to the American Church Mission and St. Andrew’s Hospital, and a separate plot on which there stands a church, were bombed by airplanes of the Japanese forces.
Investigations which the appropriate authorities were instructed to make have revealed the fact that on November 12, when Japanese naval planes bombed military establishments of the Chinese Army at Wusih, the combatant personnel, as a matter of course, paid due attention to the rights and interests of foreign countries but that, as the day was cloudy and heavily overcast, they could not distinguish any designation or mark indicating the property of Americans, even though they endeavored to do so. Further, it was revealed that on that day the line of operations of Japanese forces had already extended to the east of Kunshan and that in view of the fact that Wusih was a basis [base?] of important military operation of the Chinese Army at that time bombing operations were repeatedly carried out against the Chinese military establishments and that in so doing it was necessary to maintain high altitude in order to avoid the intense anti-aircraft gunfire of the Chinese Army. In view of the foregoing, it is believed that the American Embassy will understand that incidents such as that under reference are liable to occur notwithstanding the exercise of great care. The occurrence of the present incident is wholly attributable to a mistake due to the imperfect range of vision. The Japanese Government hereby expresses regret and has the honor to state that it will do all in its power to prevent recurrence of such incidents and that it is prepared to give proper consideration with regard to the losses and damage inflicted on the American property involved in the present case.”
Repeated to Peiping for Nanking.
- Not printed.↩