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CONFIDENTIAL.
NOT FOR PUBLICATION.
BY A MEMBER OF THE INTERNATIONAL RELIEF COMMITTEE. SAFETY ZONE, NANKING.
Xmas Eve, 1937, NANKING.
What I am about to relate is anything but a plea- sant story, in. fact it is so very unpleasant that I cannot recommend anyone without a strong stomach to read it. For it is a story of such crimes and horror as to be almost un- believable, the story of the depradations of a horde of de- graded criminals of incredible bestiality who have been, and are now, working their will, unrestrained on a peaceful, kindly, law abiding people.
It is a story which I feel must be told, even if it is seen only by a few. I cannot rest until I have told it and unfortunately or perhaps fortunately, I am one of a very few who are in a position to tell it. It is not com- plete for it is only a small part of the whole and God alone knows when it will be finished. I pray it may be soon but I am afraid it is going on for many months to come, not just here but in many parts of China. I believe it has no para- llel in modern history.
It is now Xmas Eve. I shall start with, say Decem- ber 10th. In these two short weeks we here in Nanking have been through a siege, the Chinese army has left defeated and the Japanese has come in. On that day Nanking was still the beautiful city we were so proud of, with law and order still prevailing, today it is a city laid waste, ravaged, completely looted, most of it burned. Complete anarchy has reigned for ten days
it has been Hell on earth. Not that my life has been in serious danger at any time, though turning lust made, sometimes drunken soldiers out of houses where they were ra- ping the women is not, perhaps, altogether a safe occupation, nor does one feel too sure of himself when he finds a bayonet at his chest or a revolver at his head and knows it is han- dled by someone who heartily wishes him out of the way. For the Japanese army is anything but pleased at our being here after having advised all foreigners to get out. They wanted no observers. But to have to stand by while even the very poor were having their last possessions taken from the their last coin, their last bit of bedding (and it is freezing weather), the poor ricksha man his ricksha; while thousands
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