CO129-570-8 Sino-Japanese War- sinking of Chinese fishing boats by Japanese vessel 31-1-1938 - 22-12-1938 — Page 29

TRANSLATION

Minister for Foreign Affairs

No. 141.

Confidential.

His Excellency

29

19th September 1938.

Your Excellency,

I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of

Your Excellency's Note No. 119 of the 15th August regarding

the case of the sinking of Chinese fishing boats by a

vessel of the Imperial Navy to the south of Chelong Point

on the 22nd September, 1937.

We have previously set forth our views on this

on the 18th April last enclosing a detailed statement

based upon the report of the Japanese naval authority on

the spot who was responsible for the situation at the time:

The fact is that the case of the British side rests upon

the report of the findings of the Hong Kong Commission of

Enquiry which is compiled entirely upon the basis of the

ex parte statements of uneducated shipwrecked fishermen,

while our contentions are based upon the report of a

responsible authority of the Imperial Navy on the spot.

A fundamental divergence of views between the two sides

is therefore inevitable. For instance, the British side

has concluded in connexion with this case that, in view

of the inferiority of the weapons with which junks are

equipped, it is in the highest degree improbable that the

fishing boats would have been so extremely reckless as to

dare /

the

Sir Robert L.Craigie, K.C.M.G., C.B.,

H.B.M. Ambassador.