793.94/15165: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received 1:40 p.m.]
425. Two squadrons of Japanese planes raided Chungking on two occasions between midnight and 2 o’clock this morning, bombs falling at random on both banks of the Yangtze River and in the city. One bomb fell within 400 feet of the residence of Counselor Peck and about 150 feet from the British gunboat killing and wounding several Chinese. Other bombs fell in the river in the same locality, one of which landed about 300 yards from my quarters.
Casualties and property damage appear to have been light. All Americans are believed to be safe. Reverend W. A. McCurdy has informed the Embassy that the Lewis Memorial Institutional Church of the Methodist Episcopal Church (located in the city) an American organization was badly damaged in this raid and that other smaller buildings of the same mission were damaged by concussion.7
Repeated to Peiping, Hankow, Shanghai. Latter airmail to Tokyo.
- For further reports of air raids on Chungking, see Ibid., pp. 654 ff.↩