740.00117 Pacific War/85: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Minister in Switzerland (Harrison)

436. For immediate delivery to Japanese Government:

“A report from the Pacific Theater of Operations discloses that a United States aircraft on the night of January 31, 1944 while on a reconnaissance mission at an approximate location of 4 degrees 13 minutes south and 151 degrees 30 minutes east made one bombing run dropping three bombs over what appeared to be a Japanese cargo vessel. Red Cross lights were observed on the vessel after that attack and the aircraft immediately refrained from further hostile action. The United States Government regrets any damage that may have been caused to a Japanese hospital ship as a result of this accidental attack.”

Hull