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 A Part of The Report from the British Embassy, Peking

 

The Chahar Provincial authorities and the local special delegate for foreign affairs were in constant telephonic communication with the Embassy. At Peking the Embassy kept in close touch with the Acting Chairman of the Peking Political Readjustment Council by frequent interviews, which have been summarised in the relative telegraphic correspondence. As regards the Japanese authorities, it appeared at first desirable to deal solely with the Chinese authorities so long as the bandits did not cross the Jehol border, in order that they might be afforded no excuse for evading their responsibilities. On receiving word, however, that as stated in my telegram No, 775 Mr. Jones was in Chengte (Jehol City) - see paragraph 6 below - I instructed the Military Attaché to this Embassy to make enquiries of the Japanese Military Attaché, Colonel Takahashi, as to whether he had any information, and thereafter Colonel Lovat—Fraser kept in close touch with his Japanese colleague.

5.        The original demands of the bandits as stated in Dr. Mueller’s report (enclosure 1) were for $100,000 and arms and ammunition. This was later reduced to $50,000,and some days later again raised to the original sum. At one time it was reported that the ransom had been reduced to the sum of $8,000 but it subsequently transpired that this was a mere rumour emanating from the fact that the district magistrate at Kuyuan had expressed the opinion that if the bandits reduced their demand to $50,000 they might in future further reduce it to $8,000. It should be added here that at all times the Chinese authorities expressed willingness to pay army ransom within reason which might be demanded by the bandits and that both at Peking and Kalgan the Chinese authorities gave repeated assurances of their conviction that Mr. Jones’ life was not in danger and that it was only a question of’ time before he would be released.

6.        To revert to the movements of the bandits subsequent to the release of Dr. Mueller, it appears that shortly after the Paochang Hsien district authorities had established contact with the bandits the latter moved to the neighbourhood of Kuyuan Hsien near the Jehol. border. Fresh steps were taken by the Chinese authorities to get in touch with the bandits and negotiations were opened with them through the Ku3ruan Hsien magistrate. About this period (3rd/4thAugust) the bandits moved over the old border of Jehol into Fengning Hsien and this news gave rise to the report mentioned in my telegram No. 755 that Mr. Jones had been rescued by “Manchoukuo” troops and was being escorted to Chengte. At no time however did the bandits proceed far into Jehol and the Chinese authorities remained in touch with them and continued confident Of Mr. Jones eventual release. The bandits then moved west again into what is nominally Chinese territory and on the 9th August the Chinese authorities at Kalgan informed Lieutenant Millar that Mr. Jones had been seen the previous evening at a place about half-way between Kuyuan and Tushih K’ou, and that he was thin but in good health. The bandits now split into two bands, the one going north—west towards Paochang and the other retracing its steps south—east. It was not known with certainty which band held Mr. Jones but it was thought probable by the Chinese authorities that he was with the latter. Difficulties hitherto unexplained occurred in the progress of the negotiations and the middle man sent to negotiate with the bandits is said to have been detained and later shot. Doubtless in consequence of this development the Chinese authorities decided to take action to surround the former band, no action being possible against the latter owing to their proximity to the Jehol border. The next development was that on the 16th August Lieutenant Millar received a report that a foreigner bad been shot by bandits in the Paochang area and on the following day the Chahar Provincial authorities informed him that the person in question was Mr. Jones. It later transpired that as stated in Lieutenant Millar’s summary of evidence (enclosure 3) Mr. Jones had been on the 12th August, after 15 days of captivity, shot to death by the bandits at T’ou Tao Kou in the vicinity of the villages of Tsao Chia Fang Tsu and Meng Ohia Ying Tzu, just Inside the eastern border of Kang Pao Hsien. On the afternoon of 17th August the Acting Chairman of the Peking Political Readjustment Council sent to inform me officially that Mr. Jones had been killed and to express his sincere regrets. I at once made representations to the Wai Chiao Pu pressing for a full enquiry and for the arrest and punishment of the murderers; copy of my note of the 21st August and of the Wai Chiao Pu’ a note of 30th August in reply were forwarded to you in my despatches Nos. 1328 of the 21st August and 1339 of the 4th September referred to above. It will be observed from the report of the Chahar provincial authorities quoted in the Wai Chiao Pu Note of the 30th August that four bandits are said to have been killed and one mortally wounded in an encounter between them and the Pao An Tul on the very evening of the murder.

7.       It is clear that this incident, apart from the difficulties occasioned from its occurrence in the new Demilitarised Zone from which Sung Che-yuan’ a troops had recently been withdrawn, was no ordinary case of kidnapping. Repeated hints were given by the Chinese authorities at Kalgan to Lieutenant Millar that the Japanese were suspected to be implicated (see in particular Lieutenant Millar’s report No.6, copy of which is enclosed), and the “political” character of the case was emphasized by the Acting Chairman of the Peking Political Readjustment Council at the Chinese Secretary’ a interview with him on the 3rd August as reported in my telegram No. ‘742 of that date. in his confidential report Dr. Mueller states that the bandits told him that they were Chinese from Manchoukuo who had entered the Japanese service and had received from a Japanese authority in Jehol a commission to cross the Jehol border and create trouble, and it appears that they had just made an unsuccessful attempt on a Mongol militia leader named Mao of the White Mongol Banner. Dr. Mueller also states that the route taken by himself and Mr. Gareth Jones on their return from Dolonor was recommended to them by the Japanese as the best and safest route, and that the bandits produced to him brand new notes of the Manchuria Central Bank and that their machine gun was manufactured by the Mukden Arsenal, but the Japanese Military Authorities at Dolonor may have indicated the particular route in question owing to their desire to divert the party from the main road to Kalgan along which much military transport was said to be proceeding, and as regards the bank notes Dr. Mueller does not actually appear to have seen the large quantities of notes which the bandits said they possessed. The bandits certainly seem to have been strangers to the district as they frequently impressed local Chinese as guides while their frequent and rapid moves go to show that they had few or no sympathisers among the local inhabitants. In addition to Dr. Mueller’s statement referred to above, the Rengo representative at Peking informed Messrs Reuters’ representative about the 15th August, and before the death of Jones was known to this Embassy, that Colonel Takahashi had some days previously told him, that the remnants of Shih Yu—san’ a troops were responsible for the kidnapping, that these men had been employed by the Japanese last January to create trouble in the Demilitarized Zone (the Tushih K’ou-Kuyang Incident), that thereafter they were paid off by the Japanese and let loose in the Zone, and that they were consequently between two stools, being afraid of the Chinese authorities who knew of their participation in the January incident and unable to return to Jehol because the Japanese had paid them off. The Japanese authorities naturally deny that they are in any way responsible for the capture and I understand that an official denial to this effect has been sent to the European Press; Colonel Takahashi also denied in conversation with Mr. D’Alton of Havas News Agency that the Japanese authorities at Dolonor had authorised Messrs Mueller and Jones to take the road they did, but admitted that a conference had taken place between Dr. Mueller and the Japanese authorities at Dolonor regarding which route they should take. The Japanese authorities appeared to have had some grounds for wishing to cover themselves, since, at the request of Colonel Takahashi who visited Kalgan on the 13th August by plane from Taiyuanfu the Chief of the Chinese police at Kalgan (Chang Yun Jeng) furnished him with a written statement which Colonel Takahashi showed to Colonel Lovat—Fraser on the 13th August, the gist of the statement being as follows:

      “After the release of Mueller, the Chahar authorities despatched a special police force to Kuyuan and Paochang in order to warn the bandits that no harm was to be done to Jones. In addition they des— patched special representatives in order to open up secret negotiations with the bandits. The police were unable to get in touch with the bandits, and therefore proceeded to “clear tip” other bandit bands in that area. This had the effect of frightening the bandits who are now holding Jones, and they have split up into small parties of 3—5 and are hiding in the mountains. They have discarded their uniform and are now wearing civilian clothes”.


8.       Pending any further information which may become available later, any question of responsibility must remain largely a matter of conjecture. Messrs Mueller and Jones had in their journey closely approached the Outer Mongolian Frontier and they entered Dolonor without the Japanese military authorities being aware of their presence till the following day; Mr. Jones moreover had been making notes on the way and talking to all and sundry. The suspicion that the Japanese authorities had something to do with their difficulties cannot be lightly dismissed and it may well be that some junior Japanese military officers engineered the plot to have Mr. Jones and Dr. Mueller kidnapped as a warning to other journalists to keep out of forbidden territory, and that the situation later got out of the hands of the Japanese concerned. Nor can the possibility be altogether dismissed that the capture of Messrs Jones and Mueller was intended to create another “incident” in order to provide the Japanese with an excuse for further military action in Chahar. Against these suspicions it is only fair to set the fact that Colonel Takahashi informed the Military Attaché to this Embassy that orders had been issued to the Kwa?4tung military authorities to do all within their power to effect a release and he suggested to Colonel Lovat-Fraser that the British authorities should strongly press the Chinese authorities to send a delegate to Kuyuan with ransom money and open negotiations with the bandits, and he thought it possible that on the receipt of the ransom the bandits would move eastwards into Jehol and they would then be dealt with by the Japanese. It would appear that the Japanese authorities wished to make certain that any kudos that might be gained from the release of Mr. Jones should accrue to the Japanese. On the whole, it seems more probable that while certain Japanese elements may have been connected with the bandits and while the Japanese military authorities may have been responsible for their original presence in the area in question the Japanese authorities must be acquitted of direct connivance in the affair and that the actual kidnapping was the work of the bandits themselves. The final murder of Mr. Jones by the bandits, allegedly owing to the fact that he could not keep up with them from weakness and exhaustion, still remains an Inexplicable feature of the case unless as stated above the bandits felt that there was no refuge for them either in Japanese or Chinese controlled territory and they shot their prisoner on the principle that dead men tell no tales.

9.        A copy of a sketch map of the area affected’ is enclosed for convenience of reference.

                                                                 I have the honour to be,

                                                                With the highest respect,

                                                                                   Sir,

                                                                       Your most obedient,

                                                                          humble Servant,

                                                                         R.G.Howe

                                                                                                                                  In the absence of H.M. Ambassador
   

 

 

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