Imperial Valley press., 1937-12-20

! gunned.
japanese authorities here admit
ted that troops fired on and cap
tured a small boat from one OF
the three Standard Oil steamships
which were attacked with the Pan
ay.
They asserted. however, that as
soon as the troops found that the
vessels were American, they tried
to stop the airplane attacks and
lost several killed or wounded in
doing so.
Harada who made the official
statement concerning the army'S
/ version, said:
The company commander OF the
launch unit which boarded the
Psnay does not believe he was at
fault in any way"
Harada said that Japanese troops
in launches were proceeding along
the river when, half an hour be-
fore the airplane attack, they saw
the PGnay and the Standard Oil
ships and believed them to be Chi
neSe.
The troops watched the airplane
attack, Harada said and then pro-
ceeded to the river bank where
one of the Standard Oil ships was
beached. There, he said, the troops
found that the ship was American
and aided the Chinese and Ameri-
can wounded aboard it.
Then he said, the attacking Jap
anese planes reappeared and the
japanese troops frantically waved
their Rise Sun flag to ward off
attack But. he said, the planes
did not see the flags and bombed
the ships.
The ships were set afire, he said
ard several of the troops were kill
eG or wounded. including an off
Ger who was wounded.
1t was then, however, that he
admitted that before it was dis
covered that the ships were Amer
;can the Japanese troops fired on
and captured a small boat from
one of the Standard Oil ships at
tackled.
During the course of the air.
plane bom0rdment, Harada said.
the troops, watching the attack
from a distance of 2,2OO yards,
saw the Panay fire three cannon
shots in the direction of the
launches. in addition to firing anti
aircraft shells at the airplanes.
Harada insisted on this state
ment despite the fact that survivors
of the Panay, present when he
made it, asserted that the Panay's
three inch guns remained under
their canvas covers all during the
attack.
After Harada made his statement
for the army on the Panay attack
he was questioned for an hour by
newspaper correspondents, lnclud-
ing staff correspondent Weldon
James, present during the bomb
ing. 1t was pointed out to him
that his statement conflicted di~
lectly With statements of those on
the Panay.
Harada admitted that he had not
personally interviewed anyone con-
nected with the attack. 1t was
pointed out TO him that the Japa-
nese at first said they knew Moth
ing of the Panay until 10 am.
Monday. He then changed the first
sentence of his statement-which
said that having learned of the
Panay attack he left Shanghai at
q am. Monday to investigate-to
read that he went to investigate
IN attack on the British gunboat
Ladybird
1t was suggested TO Harada that
the army's own investigation might
tend toward whitewashing the ar
my and putting the sole blame on
the navy.
Asked if the japanese did no.
know that all Chinese gunboats
are painted gray and the Panay
was painted white, ht said that
under Officers could not be eX-
Dected to have naval knowledge.
TOKYO, Dec. 20. CUP)-A for
eign office spokesman admitted to-
day that official reports said Japa-
nese troops fired on and boarded
the American gunboat Panay as
it was sinking after a japanese air
plane attack.
He added that it was uncertain
whether the troops or the Panay
fired first.