Evening star., 1937-08-15
Aiding 1000 Up to
l.. S. Officials in
Battle Zone.
HULL DEMANDS
CITY BE SPARED
Neutrality Action
May Be Taken
Tomorrow.
BACKGROUND

Sino-JdpdneSe "undeclnred u1r"
grew out OF clash OF Chinese and
japanese armed forces July near
Peiping and refusal OF Hopeh-
Chahar Political Council to yield
to demands of Toxic, Uhich mould
hare set up another puppet regime
in North China. Killing of Jap
nnese officer in Shanghai last Mon
day brought conflict TO the Chi
nese metropolis NTH its thousands
OF foreigners.
Orders of the State and Navy De-
partments hold Americas Asiatic
fleet ready to evacuate American citi-
zens from war-endangered Shanghai
Secretary of State Hull said last
night the Governn ent had directed
naval and consular officials in the
troubled areas to determine when and
how many of the 1000 nationals
should be evacuated.
At the same time, the Secretary
said, this Government made earnest
representations" to both Japan and
China against ANY kind of militar,
operations or military bases at Shang-
hal"
The United States, he said, has
lost no opportunity to impress this
demand on japanese and Chinese
officials in Toxic, Nanking, Shanghai
Peiping and Tientsin.
Quiet on Neutrality Act.
Hull made no comment on the pros
pect Of invoking the neutrality act
but Chairman Pittman Of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee pre-
dicted that if the hostilities at Shang.
hal continue, President Roosevelt will
make statement tomorrow or Tues
day.
Senator Pittman, who has acted as
semi-offIcial spokesman for the ad-
mlnlstration in the Far Eastern crisis
defended the Presidents failure up
to now to find that China and Japan
are at war, but said, Things are
very rapidly reaching a state where
an armistice is impossible" and it
therefore, will become necessary for
the President to proclaim the exis-
tence of war and invoke the Ameri-
can neutrality act.
Secretary Hull said American diplo-
mats are conducting the fullest con-
ferences in cola boration" with repre-
sentatives of other governments in
terested in the international CITY with
a view to protecting nationals from
any violence.
He admonlshed American officials to
close their Offices and "unhesitatinelv
leave whenever they consider danger
imminent.
Standing instructions have been is
sued to American officers to warn all
citizens to leave dangerously threat
ened places and seek reasonable safety
Extent of Danger Weighed.
The extent of possible danger and
the best means of safety for Inter-
national Settlement residents have
been carefully weighed by the United
States and Great Britain in Shang-
hal conferences, Hull said.
Nelson T. Johnson. Ambassador to
China, who was ordered to the "war"
zone, told Hull he was constantly
conferring with local American Off
cials at Shanghai on consolidation of
all plans to preserve safety of Amer
leans.
The Far Eastern turbulence. Hull
said, provoked more active efforts on
the part of the Government for safety
OF its citizens than did the revolu-
ton outbreak in Spain.
Hull personally deplored the deaths
and injuries of Americans in Shang-
hal during the last 48 hours, pre-
sumably caused by aerial bombingS.
All the Government can do, he said.
is to be prepared to evacuate ma
tlonals on short notice and to provide
every possible encouragement and
warning them to leave.
The State Department, Hull said
was holding itself "in readiness day
and night to cooperate with the
Navy in any evacuation crisis. Ships