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$7
and threw it on the ground, broke a window and managed to get away all during the five minutes that he was in Dr. Thomson's house. They tried to steal our trucks did succeed in get- ting two so ever since it has been necessary for two Ameri- cans to spend most of their time riding trucks as they delivered rice and coal. Their experiences in dealing daily with these Japanese car thieves would make an interesting story in itself. At the University hospital they took the watches and fountain pens from the nurses.
Durdin of the New York Times started for Shanghai by motor that day, though none of us had much faith that he would get through. I hurriedly wrote a letter for him to take but he was turned back at Kyying. Steele of the Chicago News, managed to get out to the river and reported that a number of Japanese destroyers had arrived. A lietenant gave him the news of the sinking of the "Panay" but had no details, nor did he mention the other ships that were sunk. After all their efforts to have us on board finally leaving us with a couple of lengths of rope by which we could get down over the wall and to the river it was ironical indeed that the "Pa-
nay" should be bombed and we still safe.
Mr. Rabe, our Chairman, head of Siemens China Co., and Smythe our Secretary, called at Military Headquarters in the hope of seeing the commanding officer and stopping the intolerable disorders but had to wait until the next day as he had not yet entered the city. Their calls were quite use- less anyway.
On Wednesday the 15th I drove around to my house which is just outside the zone, to see if everything was al- right. Yesterday the gates were intact, but today the side gate was broken in and the south door open. I had no time to investigate but asked a friendly looking major who had just moved in across the street to keep an eye on the place which he promised to do. A staff officer from the Navy was waiting for me. He expressed his deep concern over the loss of the "Panay" but he too could give no details. The Navy would be glad to send a destroyer to Shanghai with any of the members of the American Community, who wished to go, also to send radio messages of a purely personal nature. He seemed some- what disappointed in the brevity of the message I wrote out:- "WILBUR NATIONAL COMMITTE, Y.M.C.A. SHANGHAI, ALL FOREIGNERS NANKING SAFE AND WELL. PLEASE INFORM INTERESTED PARTIES." Also when I told him that with the exception of a couple of newspaper men the rest of us wished to stay in Nanking.
On Wednesday the 15th I offered to drive a Japanese naval officer back to his ship he had been obliged to walk the four miles in, but half way we were stopped by an army
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