393.115 Standard Vacuum Oil Co./242: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 1—1:40 a.m.]
234. Tokyo’s 394, May 31, noon63 through Shanghai and Shanghai’s May 31, 7 p.m.64 I find it a little difficult to understand Japanese attitude as there are other anti-aircraft batteries on hills around Chungking. I have today received the following letter from the local representative of the Standard-Vacuum Oil Company:
“In reference to your verbal inquiry as to the location of anti-aircraft guns in the vicinity of our Sukiapa installation we wish to inform you that our installation superintendent today advises us that to the best of his knowledge there is no anti-aircraft gun within a radius of approximately half a mile of this installation.
There is no Texas Company installation at Chungking.
I carefully observed Japanese bombers of May 28th and did not observe any [attempt?] on the part of those planes which flew over city to reach military objectives. Bombs dropped within city which is an open, undefended city 500 miles from any Japanese force that might occupy it. Casualties were civilians and my commentary is the same as that which I made in my 438, July 13, noon, of last year.65 Anti-aircraft cannon cannot by any stretch of imagination be considered offensive weapons.
Repeated to Shanghai, Peiping. Shanghai repeat to Tokyo.
- Not printed.↩
- See telegram of June 1, 11 a.m., infra.↩
- Foreign Relations, Japan, 1931–1941, vol. i, p. 661.↩