Office of the Historian

893.102S/1884: Telegram

The Chargé in Japan (Dooman) to the Secretary of State

Tokyo, September 14, 1939—4 p.m.
[Received September 14—6:30 a.m.]

476. Shanghai’s 810, September 11, 2 p.m. The British Embassy has informed us that it has reliable information to the effect that the conference called by the Commander of the Japanese Landing Force at Shanghai is for the following purposes:

(1)
To inform the French and British forces that they must withdraw or be disarmed.
(2)
To declare the present defense scheme nonexistent and to substitute therefor a police defense scheme which will be confined to the limits of the International Settlement.
(3)
To criticize the Italian defense sector in order to illustrate the inefficiency of defense forces generally in the maintenance of law and order.
(4)
The Japanese to be prepared for evasion but no delay is to be tolerated.
(5)
The conference should pave the way for the complete evacuation of the French and British forces.

The British Embassy is lodging a protest with the Foreign Office this afternoon.

Repeated Shanghai. Shanghai please repeat to Chungking, Peiping.

Dooman