394.1121 Young, James/31: Telegram
The Ambassador in Japan (Grew) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 11—9:45 a.m.]
166. The first session of Young’s trial was held today in camera, Mrs. Young, Turner57 and one friend Durgin58 were the only spectators. The charges center around 6 articles written by Young and sent to Japanese publications; 3 were mailed from Hong Kong and 3 delivered by him after his return to Tokyo; all of them were identical with or similar to those transmitted with my despatch 4434 of January 23.55 Young is charged with reporting that the Japanese Army is implicated in the opium traffic; that incendiary bombs were dropped by Japanese airplanes on non-military portion of Chungking causing wide destruction and death of 7,000 civilians; that Japanese troops had occupied and committed depredations in American institutional properties; that the Japanese Army had resorted to the use of poison gas against the Chinese when hard pressed, et cetera. No documentary statement of the charges is available; the above outline is reported from memory. The proceedings today were confined to [Page 998] reviewing the charges and questioning the accused. The next session of the trial will be on the 15th, and there will probably be a third session. Young comported himself well and seems to have made a good impression on the court.