793.94/9734: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 27—3:40 p.m.]
538. Following communication has been addressed to the Minister for Foreign Affairs:
“Dear Mr. Minister: I have a telegram from the Commander-in-Chief of the United States Asiatic Fleet stating that at 2:50 this morning a bomb from an unseen plane exploded 200 yards from a submarine, S–37, of the United States Government, anchored at Middle Ground Buoy in the Yangtze River. Both horizontal and vertical national colors were illuminated by powerful lights. The submarine was en route from Tsingtao to Cavite and had come to the Yangtze to land a sick man who needed an emergency operation.
May I urge the necessity that orders be given to the planes of the Chinese Government not to drop bombs on unidentified or neutral vessels? Similar representations are being made to the Japanese.”83
- The Department replied in telegram No. 188, August 27, 7 p.m.: “Care should be taken to avoid misuse of the words ‘neutral’ and ‘belligerent’.”↩