393.115/401
The Consul General at Hankow (Josselyn) to the Ambassador in China (Johnson)42
Sir: With reference to Shanghai’s telegram of May 30, 1938, noon, regarding the Japanese request to Third Powers to mark their properties with national flags and also to submit maps showing the exact location thereof, I have the honor to state that from the information on file at this office it would appear that American missions would scarcely be justified in believing that compliance with the Japanese request would cause their property to be unmolested.
This office has on record several letters from American mission stations in the interior which have been bombed by the Japanese and which were flying American flags at the time of the bombing. A list of these cases is given below:
- 1.
- The church of the Advent Christian Mission at Chaohsien, Anhwei, was bombed and machine gunned by Japanese airplanes on January 24, 1938. A letter from Miss Hannah Stocks, dated February 3, states that the American flag was painted on the roof of the church and an American flag was flying from the flag staff.
- 2.
- The American Baptist Mission at Lim, Shantung, was bombed by the Japanese on March 25 and April 1, 1938. All buildings in this mission were marked with American flags and also with a special flag consisting of a blue cross with a white background. These flags were also painted on the roofs of the buildings.
- 3.
- The Southern Baptist Mission at Chenghsien, Honan, was bombed on May 13. This mission had two American flags, 20 x 40 feet, laid on the ground.
- 4.
- The Southern Presbyterian Mission at Kweiteh, Honan, was bombed on May 20, 21, 22 and 23. This mission was flying American flags from the mast; also American flags were laid on the ground, the latter being 10 x 17 feet. This compound was also marked with the special flag, blue cross on white background, mentioned above.
- 5.
- The Southern Presbyterian Mission at Haichow, Kiangsu, was bombed by the Japanese on May 27 and 28. A telegram from the mission states that the American flag was “most prominently displayed.”
Two cases have been reported of damage to mission stations, maps of which had already been forwarded to the American Embassy at Peiping and presumably were in the hands of the Japanese authorities at the time the bombings were carried out. These are briefly as follows:
- 1.
- Premises of the Lutheran United Mission at Chumatien, Honan, maps of which were forwarded to Peking on April 1, 1938. On May 21, 1938 Japanese planes bombed and machine gunned the premises, totally destroying thirteen rooms and partially destroying six other rooms as well as inflicting other damage.
- 2.
- Kweiteh (Shang Kiu), Honan (see No. 4 above). Maps of the premises of the Southern Presbyterian Mission at this place were forwarded to the Embassy at Peiping on February 28 and April 12. On May 20, 21, 22 and 23 Japanese planes bombed in the immediate vicinity of this property, the bombs falling very close to American flags. The actual damage to this property was reported to be negligible, but this lack of damage may be safely regarded as fortuitous.
Respectfully yours,
- Copy transmitted to the Department by the Consul General at Hankow in his despatch No. 439, June 7; received July 15.↩