893.00/11–348: Telegram

The Ambassador in China (Stuart) to the Secretary of State

2083. We made representations Foreign Office yesterday evening and General Barr36 took similar action Minister National Defense37 [Page 828] yesterday afternoon (Deptel 1519 November 1 and Mukden’s 457 [456] October 3138 repeated Nanking 606).

We have received assurances from Foreign Office that CAF has been specifically instructed to refrain from bombing foreign consular property Mukden. Minister National Defense told General Barr also that CAF had been instructed to avoid hitting foreign consulates, Barr replied CAF had already come uncomfortably near American Consulate and damaged some US property Mukden (see Mukden’s 481 and 482 November 2 to Department39 repeated Nanking 627 and 628). General Ho Ying-chin said he would repeat and re-emphasize his instructions CAF.

During this conversation General Barr told Minister if CAF really wanted to hit military targets such as large ammunition dump Mukden, it should visit there broad daylight and bomb from 1,000 to 1,500 feet rather than paying nocturnal visits and bombing from 20,000 feet in the black of night.

Department please pass Mukden.

Stuart
  1. Maj. Gen. David G. Barr, Chief, Army Advisory Group (AAG) in China.
  2. Gen. Ho Ying-chin.
  3. For latter, see p. 530.
  4. Neither printed.