811.79690 Pan American Airways/167: Telegram

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

6. Your 14, January 25, 11 p.m.

1.
The Department desires that you reply to the Japanese Consul General in the sense that the representative at Hong Kong of the Pan American Airways System, which is believed to be the only American organization regularly operating an airplane service in the south China area, is being informed of the contents of the communication of the Japanese Consul General. You should draw attention to the fact that on November 15, 1937, the American Embassy at Tokyo made notification to the Japanese Government describing the planes in use by the Pan American Airways System on its Manila-Macao-Hong Kong run, and you should state that irrespective of whether airplanes of American nationality comply with the request of the Japanese authorities in regard to advance notice and observance of specified maximum altitudes of flights, the Government of the United States must hold the Japanese Government strictly accountable for any damage caused by the Japanese armed forces to American planes or injury to occupants thereof and expects that instructions will be issued by the Japanese authorities to the Japanese armed forces which will ensure against an American plane being attacked by them.
2.
Please repeat to Hong Kong with the request, as from the Department, that Hong Kong inform the local representative of the [Page 268] Pan American Airways System of the contents of the foregoing and of your telegram under reference.
3.
Repeat also to Chungking, Peiping and Shanghai, for repetition to Tokyo.
Hull