393.112/43: Telegram
The Chargé in Japan (Dooman) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 11—7:53 p.m.]
398. Our 392, August 7, 6 p.m., paragraph No. 2. In response to inquiry this morning Yoshizawa informed me that the War Department had received reply from the military authorities with regard to conditions affecting American citizens at Kaifeng substantially as follows:
Many of the Catholic missionaries who left Kaifeng because of the anti-British agitation are Canadians who indicated intention to return to America. Before evacuating Kaifeng the British asked an American missionary to assume custody of British properties, but conforming to demand of anti-British organization this American subsequently transferred custody of such properties to the Honan Provisional Government. This fact and the Canadian nationality of many of the British missionaries presumably gave rise to the report that Americans and their properties had been molested. There has been no agitation against American citizens but further investigations will be made.
Repeated to Chungking, Hankow and Shanghai.