793.94/4350: Telegram
The Consul General at Shanghai (Cunningham) to the Secretary of State
[Received February 21—11 a.m.]
95. Continuing my daily report number 91, February 20, 7 p.m. Except for a heavy artillery bombardment at Chapei about 1 a.m. the military situation in Shanghai has been relatively quiet. At the present moment as mentioned in paragraph 2 of my yesterday’s report Kiangwan Village is the center of the Japanese military drive but up until 1 p.m. had not been captured although it was being outflanked to the north and south. The Chinese are putting up a stout resistance but will eventually have to give way in the face of the superior mechanical equipment possessed by the Japanese. The exploding of land mines by Chinese has offered considerable opposition to the advance of the Japanese tanks. The Japanese military headquarters is located at Fuhtan University behind which the Japanese 6–inch howitzers are blasting the Chinese front-line positions. It is reported that in their slow methodical advance the Japanese are burning all buildings in their path in order to destroy all hiding places for snipers.
Repeated to the Legation and Nanking.