Office of the Historian

793.94/10388: Telegram

The Minister in Switzerland (Harrison) to the Secretary of State

Geneva, October 3, 1937—4 p.m.
[Received October 3—1:26 p.m.]

23. Reference my telegram No. 22, October 2, midnight.68

1.
As discussion proceeds it appears not improbable that Subcommittee will find that Japan’s action was not justified and that she has broken her treaty obligations. If so, it is felt that it may be difficult however to give substantial satisfaction to Chinese demand respecting aggression. As the time is so short the report of the Committee to the Assembly will probably be confined to that phase of the matter. Koo, however, will undoubtedly continue to press for his second and third points, namely, measures to discourage aggression and to encourage resistance. Committee may refer the demands to the Subcommittee which would then be kept in being.
2.
Koo has told me that he has not yet presented to the British and French his draft resolution reported in the second paragraph of my telegram No. 14, September 28, midnight.
3.
As we left the meeting last night a prominent member of the British delegation remarked that while in 1932 the governments were attempting to lead public opinion, in the present case it was public opinion which was ahead of the governments and he referred to the increasing interest evidenced in England and in the English press demanding a strong line of action on the part of the British Government. In this connection he mentioned specifically, in addition to bombing from the air, the indignation aroused by the complete destruction of the leading Chinese university in Tientsin and the ruthless sinking by Japanese men of war of junks owned by Chinese residents of Hong Kong.
4.
Chinese privately express satisfaction with success of their efforts so far. Evidently it has been greater than they had expected.
Harrison
  1. Not printed.↩