FO371-23514 — Page 132

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INDEXED

Attach

15717/12/-//10.

2

It seems unlikely that Lord Strabolgi, in his speech on

the present situation in South China, will refer to what took

place in Nanking over a year ago. It seems much more likely

that he will ask Lord Plymouth privately whether he has seen

the letter sent by him to the Secretary of State on the 13th

February (F 1712/1712/10). If this is the case we suggest that

Lord Plymouth should reply to the effect that a considerable

amount of similar evidence reached the Foreign Office at the

time, some being actually published in the "Daily Telegraph"

and other papers both in this country and in the United States

of America. The only action taken by His Majesty's Government

was that the Military Attaché at Tokyo brought the matter private-

ly to the notice of the Japanese Military Authorities there.

As a result of the publicity referred to above, the Japanese

authorities despatched a special military officer of high rank

to Nanking to make investigations, subsequent to which

conditions appear to have shown considerable improvement.

Japanese appear to have been genuinely shocked at what happened

and at Nanking, or the atrocities there were not repeated when

Hankow and Canton were captured.

The

If, on the other hand, Lord Strabolgi does refer to it in

his speech, we suggest that Lord Plymouth should simply say that

we received much evidence of this character but that there is

reason to believe that these occurrences led the Japanese Military

Authorities to take the necessary steps to prevent their repet-

ition. It is essential to give the impression that the Japanese

Authorities in Tokyo took action in their own volition as soon

as thedeplorable state of affairs in Nanking was brought to

}

which

their notice, as in fact seems to have been the case, and that

their action was not due to pressure by foreign Powers.

Abscot

2/14

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25th February, 1939.

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