Panay Incident Closed; U.S. Accepts Jap Reply

Northern Advocate, 27 December 1937, Page 5

Panay Incident Closed; U.S. Accepts Jap Reply

Mr. Hull’s Earnest Hope That There Will Be No Repetition

(Received 10 a.m.) NEW YORK, December 25. ] JARRING FURTHER INCIDENTS, AND WITH THE EXCEPTION OF i THE FORMALITY OF ASCERTAINING AND COLLECTING THE INDEMNITIES, THE BOMBING OF THE PANAY BECAME A CLOSED INCIDENT WHEN THE SECRETARY OF STATE, MR CORDELL HULL, SENT A NOTE TO JAPAN ACCEPTING THE JAPANESE REPLY OF YESTERDAY. The acceptance is conditional on the observance, in future, of United States rights in China. The Note. Which, unprecedentally, was prepared on Christmas Day, was brief. It described the Japanese actions against repetition of the incidents only as “responsive.” It made no issue of the Japanese assertion that the bombing was accidental. It merely stated that the United States preferred to rely on its own naval reports regarding the deliberate character of the attack, and it closed with what might be interpreted as a veiled threat, namely, an “earnest hope” that there would be no repetition of the incident. The Note quotes from the United States Note of December 14, and the Japanese Notes of December 14 and 24, and says;—

“Responsive Notes.”

“The Government of the United ; States has observed with satisfaction the promptness with which the Japanese Government had admitted its responsibility and expressed regret and offered amends. The United States legards the Japanese Government’s account of the action taken by it as responsive to the United States reejest of December 14. “Regarding the facts of the origin, causes and circumstances of the incident, the Japanese Government indicates in its Note of December 24 the conclusion at which it lias arrived as a result of its investigations. Regarding the same matters, the United States relies on the report, of the finding of the Naval Court of Inquiry.

United States Hope.

“It is the earnest hope of the Government of the United States that the steps the Japanese Government will take will prove effective toward preventing any further attacks and unlawful interference by the Japanese authorities on the American forces and American nationals, interests and property in China.”

The Washington correspondent of the* “New York Times” says it was made clear that, while the bombing at present is a closed incident, it is subject to the future conduct of the Japanese militarists towards Americans.

No issue is made of the lack of specific Japanese mention of discipline against its Army, similar to that against its Navy. It was apparent that the United States preferred to base its stand on broader grounds.

Reply From Emperor Not Pushed. However, it was not overlooked by officials that Japan intimated definitely that, in the event of future incidents, the offenders would be punished. Neither was there any disposition in the Note to urge a direct response from the Emperor. It was thoroughly appreciated that the Emperor holds a special place, thus the matter was left to Tokio.

It is appreciated here that Japan, according to the standards governing her armed forces, went very far in disciplining her naval officers. Indeed, the steps taken -were unprecedented. It also appears that the United States does not feel justified in continuing the crisis by urging Japan to go beyond warning its Navy to exercise the greatest caution in future.