393.1163/873: Telegram
The Counselor of Embassy in China (Lockhart) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 24—7:15 a.m.]
147. During a press conference yesterday afternoon with the Japanese Army press spokesman in Peiping, foreign correspondents [Page 306] brought up the question of the recent increasingly frequent bombings of foreign mission stations by Japanese planes. The spokesman is reported to have stated that: “It has been reported that some foreign Christian missions in Chengchow and other points have recently sustained damages from Japanese planes; although the Japanese Army authorities here are not in possession of information confirming these reports, they desire to state that there is no change in the established policy of respecting rights and interests of third power parties which has been strictly observed in the zone of hostilities in the past even to the cost of suffering disadvantages during military operations.”
The records of this Embassy show that written representations have been made to the Japanese Embassy here in regard to five instances of Japanese air bombings of American missions which have occurred since March 8.
Repeated to Chungking. Copy by air to Tokyo.