793.94/11595: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 12—2 p.m.]
29. British gunboats Scarab and Cricket with Jardine hulk and merchant ship Whangpoo loaded with foreign refugees were deliberately bombed this afternoon. No casualties reported but as there are American refugees from Nanking on hulk I hope Department will urgently instruct Tokyo to press the Japanese Government to issue instructions which will prevent this in future. Japanese informed British at Wuhu today that Japanese military forces have orders to fire on all ships on Yangtze. Unless Japanese can be made to realize that these ships are friendly and are only refuge available to Americans and other foreigners a terrible disaster is likely to happen.40
Repeated to Peiping, Shanghai, information of Cincaf.