793.94/10010: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 10—11 a.m.]
634. Department’s 215, September 4, 5 p.m.,15 Shanghai 648, September 4, 10 a.m. and Commander-in-Chief’s 0004–1700. Collective note was presented to the Foreign Office September 6th by American, British, French Embassies and following is Embassy’s translation of reply dated September 8th.
“I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of Your Excellency’s formal note of September 6th, 1937 stating that in order to preserve the safety of the foreign areas, the Commander in Chief of the United States Naval Forces in Shanghai addressed to the Chinese Military Commander in the Pootung area and to the Japanese Admiral on September 4th [to] suggest that [the?] withdrawal of Chinese troops in Pootung and of the Japanese Naval Forces in the Whangpoo River, and you expressed the hope that the National Government might accept this suggestion, insofar as it related to the withdrawal of the Chinese forces.
From the beginning of the resistance of the Chinese Armed Forces against the attack of Japanese troops, the Chinese Government has at one time shared its best efforts to ensure the safety of the Settlement. It has now happened that, in the course of the Chinese opposition to the Japanese attempt to land troops in Pootung and the Japanese [Page 318] attack, stray bullets have entered the International Settlement, and the Chinese Government deeply regrets such unfortunate accidents.
The Chinese Government, however, is obliged to point out emphatically to Your Excellency again that the Chinese military operations in Shanghai area are purely self defensive measures occasioned by the necessity of preventing the invasion and illegal attacks of Japanese forces. Under the present circumstances, the Chinese Government believes that the only way to prevent the recurrence of such unfortunate accidents is to cause the Japanese warships to withdraw from the Whangpoo River.
With regard to the suggestion of the Commander in Chief of the United States and other naval forces that the Chinese forces in Pootung be withdrawn, as set forth in Your Excellency’s formal note under acknowledgment, the Chinese Government regrets that it can not give any consideration to the proposal until the Japanese warships withdraw from the Whangpoo River.”
Sent to Department, repeated to Shanghai for Commander in Chief.