793.94/14089: Telegram
The Consul General at Hong Kong (Southard) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 15—11:50 a.m.]
I have just received the following letter from the Japanese Consul General in Hong Kong:
“I have the honor to inform you that I have received an instruction from the Minister of Foreign Affairs this morning to the effect that [Page 497] the Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Expeditionary Forces to South China has requested [me?] to transmit the following notice to the competent authorities in South China.
Heavy fighting is expected in the near future in a zone within the radius of about 200 kilometers around Canton, and another within a radius of about 100 kilometers around Swatow. According to past experiences, such as the unfortunate incident involving His Excellency Sir Knatchbull-Hugessen, the former British Ambassador to China,14 it is impossible to differentiate from air any sign or display drawn or laid down on the top of a motor car. Therefore, all the nationals of the third countries are earnestly requested to refrain from going through the said areas in motor cars.
Japanese forces, not being in a position to guarantee the safe passage of motor cars travelling in the said zones, all the nationals of the third countries are also advised, should circumstances oblige them to travel through these areas in motor cars, to use their own discretion to avoid any possible attack from the Japanese forces.
I should be very much gratified if you would kindly convey this information by telegram to your colleagues in Canton and Swatow.”
Sent to Canton, Swatow, repeated to Chungking.
- The British Ambassador was wounded while motoring between Nanking and Shanghai in 1937; Japanese air attack was blamed.↩