393.1163 Christian and Missionary Alliance/45
The Consul at Hankow (Jarvis) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 25.]
Sir: I have the honor to state that on March 27, 1939, I received the following communication, dated March 25, from the Japanese Consul General:
“With reference to Mr. Josselyn’s letter of March 1st, 1939, enclosing for transmittal to the appropriate Japanese authorities two maps showing the approximate location of the properties of the Christian and Missionary Alliance at Siushan and Lungtan, I have the honour to inform you that the Japanese Naval authorities have returned these maps, explaining that they cannot see any value in the maps which your office can assume no responsibility for in its accuracy or completeness.”
The letter to which Mr. Hanawa referred contained the following paragraph:
“These maps are submitted at the initiative of the American organization concerned in conformity with the request of the representatives of the Japanese armed forces at Peiping and Shanghai. This office can assume no responsibility for the accuracy or the completeness of the enclosed maps. It is possible that there are other American properties or citizens in these cities, the location or residence of which are not shown on these maps.”
In several previous communications transmitting maps to the Japanese Consulate General this office had employed similar language and had added that “any such omission (i. e., of American properties [Page 313] not shown in the map) does not relieve the Japanese authorities of responsibility for harm which may be caused them through Japanese action”. These drew from the Japanese Consul General letters stating that while the Japanese Military authorities appreciated our courtesy in forwarding the maps they saw little value in maps for whose accuracy or completeness the American Consulate General could not assume responsibility and that “the Japanese Army authorities in accepting the said map do so with immunity and shall assume no responsibility whatever under the same”.
I felt that this correspondence was tending to lose sight of its main object, the protection of American lives and properties; that although the maps of the two Christian and Missionary Alliance properties were only rough sketches they might contribute towards the safeguarding of the properties and ought to be returned to the Japanese Naval authorities; and that it is obvious that the Consulate General is in no position either to guarantee the accuracy or to assess the value of maps which it transmits for Americans. I therefore called on the Japanese Consul General, on March 29th, and left with him a memorandum, of which I enclose a copy; a memorandum of our conversation is also enclosed.45 On March 30th I wrote him as follows:
“With reference to your letter of March 25th and our conversation yesterday, I shall be obliged if you will kindly return to your naval authorities the two maps showing the approximate location of the properties of the Christian and Missionary Alliance at Siushan and Lungtan which, though rough sketches, I hope will contribute towards the safeguarding of these American properties.”
I have had no reply to this letter.
Respectfully yours,
- Neither printed.↩