Evening star., 1938-05-20
CHINESE PLANES
LEAFLET RAID ON
JAPAN REPORTED
Propaganda Takes Place of
Bombs Over Nagasaki,
Says HankoW.
TRIP OF $500 MILES
MADE WITHOUT STOP
Papers Dropped Over Island
Assure Nipponese No Enmity
Is Felt by People.
BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND
Chinese planes hare nerer reached
Japan proper, although air force on
February % bombed Taihoku. cap
ital OF FormoSd. and other cities on
island of coast OF Fukicn Propince.
Bombing took Hres OF eight and
7rouuded 30. Chinese air forces hare
been under actirc SuperriSlon OF
Nine. Chiong kai-shek, rite of
Chinese government head.
BY the Associated Press.
HANKOW. China. May 20-The
Chinese crews of two big American
made Martin, bombing planes were
given a triumphal welcome today
when they returned from what Chi
nese Army aviation headquarters de-
scribed as a flight over Western Japan
N which leaflets were dropped in
stead Of bombs.
The alrmen were said to have COW
cred $500 miles, the longest nonstop
Eight ever made by Chinese flyers.
Their enthusiastic homecoming oc-
CURED at Hankow Airdrome, which
presumably was their point Of de-
parture The leaflets urged the Japa-
rese people to oppose the invasion Of
China.
Premier H H Kung and War Min
'Ster General Ho Ying-ching headed
The delegation Of Chinese leaders that
;reeted them on the return.
,-oc ,,y,r;prctNCrj .l7o,-
fpallv the district containing Naga-
saki, 470 miles from Shanghai. and
Sasebo, the great naval base 40 miles
10 the north. from which many of
Japans transports and warships put
out for the China coast.
Earlier reports that the planes had
flown over Toxic and Osaka. re-
spectlvely, Japans capital and in
dustrlal metropolis, were denied by
Chinese officials. However. motor
trucks cru!sed HankoW streets flying
banners inscribed Confusion over
TSkio and Osaka and reports were
current that the planes cruised 90
minutes over Osaka.
Popping frecrackers and the blare
of brass bands marked Hank0w'S well
come to the returning airmen.
Premier Kung declared the flight
made Japan realize that it is possible
for Chinese aircraft to reach her
islands"
He continued. addressing the flyers:
You did not drop bombs. as the
Japanese air force is doing in China.
but dropped leaflets because China
champions humanitarianism.'
sChinese sources said the leaflets
assured the Japanese populace that
the Chinese felt no enmity toward the
japanese people or the japanese i'm
perial house, but hoped that the
japanese people would rise and oppose
the japanese military domination
which had led to the invasion of
China.
In Toxic the war and navy
ministries ridicuIed the Chinese
announcement of the fight. If
Chinese planes could reach Japan
they would drop bombs. but not
leaflets" said a spokesman. Amer
leans in Kobe, Osaka and Fukuoka
reported all was quiet in those
cities. Fukuoka is in Northern
kyushu, westernmost of the main
japanese islands over which the
Chinese said they few
Took Off About Midnight.
The planes. twin-engined, mono
plane Martini bombers. took OIL
about midnight and returned to Han
koW late in the morning, They
crossed the China Sea to Kyushu-on
which are Nagasaki and Sasebo-and,
according to some Chinese sources,
also flew over Japan's inland sea.
The flight leader said they were
fired at by japanese warships off the
China coast. but over Japan were not
challenged by japanese aircraft or
fired on by anti-aircraft batteries.
Nagasaki was the objective. he said,
and nearly all the leaflets were
dropped there. The return was with
out incident. although one plane de-
yeloped an oil leak. Each plane car
ried a crew of four Radio commune
cation with the base was maintained
throughout.