761.93 Manchuria/144: Telegram.
The Chargé in the Soviet Union (Kirk) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 3—8:50 a.m.]
220. My 217, August 2, 8 a.m. Following Tass communiqué published in Soviet press this morning:
“At dawn on August 2 the Japanese Army again launched an attack on the height of Zaozernaya [Changkufeng] situated on Soviet territory and the struggle for the possession lasted throughout the entire day. Whenever the Japanese forces penetrated into Soviet territory they were subjected to artillery fire and aerial bombardment from the Soviet side which caused them enormous losses.
The accounts spread by the Japanese telegraph agencies and newspapers of flights of Soviet bombing planes over Manchurian and [Page 465] Korean territories are strongly denied by the competent Soviet circles. They point out that from the very beginning of the conflict the Soviet Government has declared that it intends to defend only territory belonging unquestionably to the Soviet Union and that the air forces as well as the infantry in strict observance of this directive have held themselves the entire time exclusively within the borders of the Soviet Union. They suggest that the above mentioned accounts have been purposely spread by the Japanese militarists in order to justify their repeated attacks on Soviet territory and the enormous losses which they are suffering. The opinion is also advanced that the Japanese authorities in their provocative actions are being encouraged by certain Japanese diplomats. In these circumstances it is considered inevitable that the further continuation of military actions is fraught with the most serious consequences.”21
- In telegram No. 225, August 4, noon, the Chargé in the Soviet Union reported that this last sentence should read: “In these circumstances the further continuation, fraught with extremely serious consequences, of military actions is considered inevitable.” (761.93 Manchuria/149)↩