393.115/283: Telegram
The Consul General at Shanghai (Lochhart) to the Secretary of State31
[Received May 30—6:30 a.m.]
I have received today through the office of the Senior Consul the following letter addressed to him from the Japanese Consul General dated May 30th and marked urgent:
“I have been requested by our military and naval authorities to secure as soon as possible from the Consul General of the third powers in Shanghai all available information, if possible together with three copies of maps, as to exact location of properties of third powers, both private and Government owned, in the following districts; along the railway of Peiping–Hankow, especially the cities of Chengcnow, Sinyang, Hankow, et cetera; in the western districts of the railway of Lunghai, especially the cities of Loyang, Changan, et cetera; along the coast of the Yangtze River, especially the cities of Anking, Kiukiang, Nanchang, Ichang, Chungking, et cetera; along the coast of China Sea, especially the cities of Foochow, Swatow, et cetera. With a view to preventing foreign properties from their becoming involved in the danger of hostilities, it is suggested that all the properties of the third powers located in the above districts be marked with national flags in stich a way as can be seen from the land as well as from the air.
I, therefore, have the honor to request you to be good enough to take immediate steps to circulate the above information to our honorable colleagues in the usual way.”
This office is taking no action on the request other than to repeat it as indicated below.
Sent to Hankow, repeated to Peiping and Tokyo.
- By direction of the Ambassador in China, this telegram was repeated to Canton, Foochow, Swatow and Amoy, with instructions to send any maps to Shanghai for transmission to Japanese authorities.↩