Evening star., 1938-01-29
GREW ASKS TOXIC
FOR EXPLANATION
OF FALL|SONATTACK.
Representations Are Made
to Vice Minister of
Foreign Affairs.
REACTION IS AWAITED
BY STATE Department
Account Of Slapping Delivered by
American Diplomat Denies
japanese Version.
BACKGROUND

0AN "A noH0O"A-
John M. Allison. secretary OF
United States Embassy at Nankino,
10ds slapped BY japanese soldier
tn former Chinese capital while in
Desti0ating report that japanese
soldiers had seized Chinese ,Oon,en
and American property. Japanese
spokesn1en at Shanghai CHARGED
Allison ,Das insolent and upheld the
action of the japanese soldier on
the grounds he ,Das only doing his
duty.
By the Associated Press.
TOXIC, Jan. 29.-United States Am.
bassador Joseph G. Grew today made
representations to the japanese gov
ernment against the slapping of John
M. Allison. ranking American diplo.
mat At Marking, by a japanese sol.
dier. Grew made the representations
to Kenesuke Horinouchi, vice minister
OF foreign affairs, in an evening in.
tervieW.
Domei Japanese news agency said
that Horinouchi told the American
Ambassador Japan had no detailed
information on the incident, but would
answer the representations when it ar
rived.
Allison. third secretary and In charge
Of the Marking Embassy, was slapped
by a japanese sentry when he sought
to enter q japanese barracks to in.
vestigate an attack on 4 Chinese
woman who had been abducted from
American property.
japanese at Shanghai said the sol.
dier was justified and would not be
punished. An army spokesman crit.
icized what he called Allison's "inso.
lent attitude"
Japan's Reaction Awaited.
Bs the Associated Press.
State Department officials awaited
with intense interest today japanese
reaction to formal representations by
this country against the slapping OF
an American Embassy secretary at
Marking.
The department sent instructions
last night to Ambassador Joseph c.
Grew at Toxic. directing him to In
quire as to what the japanese govern
ment had done about one Of It's SOL
diers at Marking slapping the face Of
John M. Allison, third secretary OF
the embassy.
Mr.. Allison himself has furnished
an account Of the incident, which was
officially published by the State De-
partment. Flatly denying the official
japanese version that he had insulted
q Nipponese officer, the diplomat as
serted the attack was unprovoked.
Mr.. Allison's account in brief:
Japanese soldiers forcibly had taken
Chinese woman from the agricul-
tural implement shop at Nanking
University, an American institution
and attacked her
Mr.. Allison and Charles Riggs. m
American and a member of the univer-
sity faculty, accompanied the woman
japanese consular police and
gendarmes to the japanese barracks
where she was to try to identify her
aSsailauts.
The gendarmes advised the two
Americans not to go into the building,
but did not tell them they could not
A gendarme and the woman then en-
tered. Mr.. Allison and Mr.. Riggs
stepped inside the gate and q Japa-
nese soldier rushed up. shouting Back,
back"
Il backed up slowly" continued Mr.
Allison, but before I had time to get
out of the gate he slapped me across
the face and then turned and did the
same to Mr.. Riggs
When the gendarmes advised that
he and Mr.. Riggs were Americans, Mr..
Allison said. the soldier became livid
with rage" and was forcibly restrained
only after he had torn OH Mr.. Riggs
collar.
AT no tinne." Mr.. Allison said, "did
either Mr.. Riggs or myself touch q
japanese soldier nor did we speak to
any except the gendarmeS with u.s."