893.7961/48: Telegram

The Consul General at Canton (Myers) to the Secretary of State

14. Notification marked very urgent received at 7:45 p.m., January 25, from Japanese Consul General, Canton, refers to Foreign Office, Tokyo, statements to third powers, particularly that of September [Page 267] 2, 1938, and stating “there seems to be some aircrafts whose nationalities are unknown to us flying occasionally over the above zone (referred to as that of the Japanese military operations in China) at night and that as such flights naturally hinder the activities of Japanese forces they have decided to shoot down all such aircraft”. Japanese Consul General requests that immediate steps be taken by third powers to notify competent Japanese authorities of the types or kinds of aircraft, time of their departure or arrival, courses of their flights, et cetera, long in advance of such flights and that the altitude of such flights should not exceed 500 meters. He further states that “the Japanese Government is not in a position to take responsibility of any punishment or casualties that may be caused to the aircraft of third powers disregarding the above requests”.

Repeated to Chungking, Hong Kong, Peiping, Shanghai. Shanghai please repeat to Embassy at Tokyo.

Myers