CAPTURED U.S. AIRMEN

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 77, 23 October 1942, Page 5

CAPTURED U.S. AIRMEN

THREAT BY JAPAN APRIL RAID ON TOKIO (Rec. 11.35 a.m.) Washington. Oct. 22. Four American airmen whose names closely correspond with those broadcast from Tokio actually were among the army’s list of flyers missing as a result of storms encountered after the raid on Tokio in April was completed said Mr Stimson, Secretary of War. He added: “There were relatively few airmen missing after this raid. Some flyers may have been forced down by lack of petrol in Japanese-controlled territory. One plane was interned in Russia and several others were involved in forced landings in China. Very few of these planes are missing. Our flyers who attacked Tokio were instructed to attack only military targets and our reports indicate that they did so with remarkable accuracy. We abide by the Geneva Convention governing war conduct and expect our enemies to do the same. We are very loath to believe that Japan is going to violate these rules. We have allowed the Red Cross to inspect the condition of all Japanese prisoners held by us and are making every effort to see that the rules of Geneva and the rules of humanity are carried out.”—P.A.