124.933/696: Telegram
The Counselor of Embassy in China (Lockhart) to the Secretary of State
[Received 2:32 p.m.]
500. On the afternoon of Saturday September 16, Mr. Pao Chang Chao, Chinese writer long in the service of this Embassy, was taken from his home by 12 Chinese plain clothes men and removed to the sixth precinct Chinese police station where without the knowledge of anyone in the Embassy he was questioned by the police in regard to the activities of the various members of the staff of the Embassy and in particular in regard to the activities of interpreter Gow. He was detained at the police station overnight and the following morning he was again similarly questioned by a Japanese gendarme after which he was released and permitted to return to his residence with the admonition that he make no mention of his detention” to the Embassy. He returned to work yesterday.
Interpreter Gow has himself recently been questioned a number of times by Chinese minor officials resident here. He feels that he has reason to believe that he is being shadowed and that he is suspected of acting as an agent for the Chinese Government or the Soviet Government or both. Insofar as this Embassy is aware these suspicions are entirely groundless.
Gow is a graduate of Yenching University and the students of that University are suspected by the Japanese to be in general violently anti-Japanese. Moreover, many graduates of Yenching are understood to be officers in the Chinese Army. In any event, the activities of Mr. Pao should be entirely above suspicion and intimidation of him would appear to be entirely pointless.
It is understood that similar attempts have recently been made to intimidate certain Chinese in the employ of the British Embassy here.
This Embassy considers that it would be advisable to make informal but emphatic representations to the Japanese Embassy with the request that steps be taken to put a stop to the intimidation of the Chinese employees of the American Embassy. Although the Chinese police and the Japanese gendarmerie may be displeased because Pao and Gow have reported the matter, it would nevertheless seem advisable to take this action. The instructions of the Department are respectfully requested.
Repeated to Chungking, code text by air mail to Tokyo.