393.115 President Hoover/35: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received 10 p.m.]
598. My 578, August 31, 10 p.m. Following is the Embassy’s translation of a note from the Minister for Foreign Affairs dated September 2 offering arguments against and giving particulars in connection with the bombing of the President Hoover.
“I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of Your Excellency’s formal note of August 31 informing me of the instruction of the American Government in regard to the bombing of the American merchant vessel President Hoover on August 30. After the receipt of Your Excellency’s letter of August 30 concerning this matter, I made a reply on the 31st, explaining that a Chinese aviator unfortunately mistook the President Hoover for a Japanese military transport and through error dropped bombs on it, and stating that the Chinese Government felt most regretful for this occurrence and was ready to accept responsibility for it, as well as to take immediate steps for a settlement.
[Page 480]A scout plane of the Chinese Air Force reported on the morning of August 30 that there were discovered on the sea, about 120 nautical miles east of the mouth of the Yangtze River, 10 Japanese military transports with troops on board, escorted by a destroyer; that they were sailing from the east towards Shanghai in a westerly direction, and that up to 11 o’clock they were continuing to sail westward. It was then decided to send airplanes to stop these vessels before their arrival at Shanghai. It was estimated that they might arrive at a point between 40 and 50 nautical miles distant from and east of the mouth of the Yangtze River around 5 o’clock. At 5:10 p.m. when such Chinese airplanes arrived at a point 30 or 40 nautical miles from the mouth of the Yangtze River, they saw two large merchant vessels, with one warship before and one behind, heading towards Shanghai. At the same time there were six Japanese pursuit planes circling in the sky. In these circumstances the officer in command of the Chinese Air Force decided immediately to bomb what he took for Japanese military transports before the Japanese airplanes launched an attack; it thus came about that bombs were dropped and through error damage was inflicted on the President Hoover. The Chinese airplanes then fought several engagements with the Japanese airplanes. One of the Chinese planes was hit and damaged in more than 10 places by bullets. Finally the Chinese Commander brought down one of the Japanese planes.
The facts set down above amply prove that the actual intention of the Chinese aviators, based upon the situation as they saw it, was to bomb troops arriving from Japan to invade Chinese territory, and that they had no intention whatever of harming noncombatants. Unexpectedly and in their haste they failed to distinguish the nature of the objective of their attack and thus made their error of dropping bombs on the American merchant vessel President Hoover.
The Chinese Government profoundly apologizes for this occurrence and reiterates its decision to assume responsibility for it and to afford immediate relief. The persons who should be held responsible will be severely punished. The Chinese military authorities have already taken appropriate measures in the hope that recurrence of similar mistakes may be avoided.”
Repeated to Peiping, Shanghai.