Office of the Historian

793.94/11913: Telegram

The Consul at Tsingtao (Sokobin) to the Secretary of State

Tsingtao, December 31, 1937—3 p.m.
[Received December 31—9:30 a.m.]

Situation in respect to possible danger to American lives and property from looters definitely easier at the moment.70 A group of Chinese, following explanation by Consular Corps of situation, have organized “Tsingtao Provisional Merchant Corps” which will draw up plans for police protection of Tsingtao.

My Consular colleagues are asking their Embassies to inform their Embassies at Tokyo that Japanese Government be apprised of the fact that Tsingtao is a defenseless city.

Sent to Peiping, Hankow.

Sokobin
  1. The Consul at Tsingtao in his telegram of January 1, 1938, 4 p.m., reported that “American residents in Tsingtao [are] annoyed by sensational American press reports which have completely distorted the picture of a situation which did not cause great alarm among Occidentals here none of whom has suffered any loss of property, as far as this Consulate is aware.” (793.94/11928)↩