893.00/12592: Telegram
The Minister in China (Johnson) to the Acting Secretary of State
[Received 6:20 p.m.]
928. The following telegram has been received from Amoy:
“December 22, 5 p.m. Reliably reported that at 11:30 this morning 12 bombing planes from the north dropped 20 bombs on Chang-chow, 32 miles due west of Amoy, causing considerable damage to buildings and number of Chinese dead and wounded. All Americans in Changchow reported safe. No American property reported damaged.”
Substance of this message has been repeated to the Counselor of Legation at Nanking with instructions to bring it promptly to the attention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, pointing out that this air bombardment presumably by planes of the National Government, appears to have been carried out without due warning, contrary to the assurances given by the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs on November 23rd to Peck, that as the Foreign Office is aware from the information furnished by Peck at the request of the Vice Minister there are American citizens resident at Changchow and that while the Consul [at] Amoy states these Americans are understood to be safe and no reports have yet been received of damage to American property the American Government will hold the Chinese Government strictly responsible for any loss of American life, injury to American citizens, and damage to American property resulting from such air bombardments.