Social Education 72(2), pp 62–68 ©2008 National Council for the Social Studies Teaching with Documents Letter from a Young Boy Following the Panay Incident Trevor K. Plante and Lee Ann Potter On December 22, 1937, a Japanese boy from the Shin Kozen Primary School continued to maintain that the attack had delivered a letter and a ¥2.00 donation to the American consulate in Nagasaki, Japan. been unintentional. The formal apology His letter, originally written in Japanese, was translated into English and forwarded reached Washington on Christmas Eve. to Joseph C. Grew, the American ambassador in Tokyo. His letter read, “The cold Although Japanese officials maintained has come. Having heard from my elder brother that the American warship has sunk that their pilots never saw any American the other day I feel very sorry. Having been committed without intention beyond flags on the Panay, a U.S. Navy court doubt, I apologize on behalf of the soldiers. Please forgive. Here is the money I saved. of inquiry determined that several U.S. Please hand it to the American sailors injured.” The letter, featured in this article, flags were clearly visible on the vessel was addressed “To the American sailors,” and was signed only, “One of the pupils during the attacks. Four days before of the Shin Kozen.” The boy did not provide his name in the letter, nor did he reveal the apology reached Washington, the it when visiting the consulate. Japanese government admitted that its army strafed the Panay and its survivors The American warship he referred attack from Japanese naval aircraft. On after the Japanese navy airplanes had to in his letter was the USS Panay, a the Panay, three men were killed, and bombed it. The Japanese government flat-bottomed craft built in Shanghai, forty-three sailors and five civilians were paid an indemnity of more than $2 mil- China, specifically for river duty. The wounded. Survivors were later taken on lion ($2,214,007.36) to the United States USS Panay served as part of the U.S. board the American vessel USS Oahu on April 22, 1938, officially settling the Navy’s Yangtze Patrol in the Asiatic Fleet, and the British ships HMS Ladybird and Panay incident. which was responsible for patrolling the HMS Bee. Immediately after the Panay bomb- Yangtze River to protect American lives It was a nervous time for the American ing, a lesser-known aspect of the story and property. On December 12, 1937, ambassador to Japan. He feared the started to unfold. In the days following Japanese aircraft bombed and sunk the Panay incident might lead to a break in the Panay incident, Japanese nationals, American navy gunboat. diplomatic ties between Japan and the including the young boy from Nagasaki, After invading China in the summer of United States. Grew, whose experience began sending letters and cards of sym- 1937, Japanese forces moved on the city in the Foreign Service spanned more than pathy to the American embassy in Tokyo, of Nanking in December. Panay evacu- 30 years, remembered the Maine, the and to American consulates elsewhere in ated the remaining Americans from the U.S. Navy ship that blew up in Havana the country. Ambassador Grew wrote city on December 11, bringing the num- Harbor in 1898. The sinking of the that: ber of people on board to five officers, Maine had propelled the United States never before has the fact that there fifty-four enlisted men, four U.S. embassy into the Spanish-American War; Grew are ‘two Japans’ been more clearly staff, and ten civilians. The following day, hoped the sinking of the Panay would emphasized. Ever since the first while upstream from Nanking, Panay not be a similar catalyst. news of the Panay disaster came, and three Standard Oil tankers, Mei The Japanese government took full we have been deluged by delega- Ping, Mei An, and Mei Hsia, came under responsibility for sinking the Panay but tions, visitors, letters, and contri- S OCIAL EDUCATION 62 butions of money—people from all Some of the girls enclosed postcards the money to the Japanese government. walks of life, from high officials, of beautiful Japanese places and scenes, The former sailors turned down this sug- doctors, professors, businessmen while others sent Christmas cards and gestion and chose instead to send their down to school children, trying holiday wishes. One girl included a donation to the Navy Department in to express their shame, apologies, drawing of a Christmas candle burning Washington. and regrets for the action of their bright with holly at the bottom. Several After being turned down by the Navy, own Navy. of the girls included their ages, which Hashimoto approached the naval attaché ranged from eight to thirteen. Some of at the American embassy in Tokyo with In addition, “highly placed women, the letters were written on intricately a check for 300 yen. The attaché, Capt. the wives of officials, have called on decorated stationery. Each envelope was Harold Bemis, informed Ambassador Alice [Grew’s wife] without the knowl- identically addressed: “To the Family Grew that a Mr. K. Hashimoto had edge of their husbands.” The ambassador of the ‘Paney’ [sic] C/O U.S.A. Navy brought in a contribution from the noted, “that side of the incident, at least, Department, Washington, DC U.S.A.” Ex-U.S. Navy Enlisted Men’s Association is profoundly touching and shows that at While each letter seems to be penned of Yokohama. Bemis further told the heart the Japanese are still a chivalrous individually, the envelopes appear to ambassador that Hashimoto requested people.” These signs of sympathy arrived have been addressed by the same person, that the names of the former sailors be just as the ambassador was receiving word possibly their teacher. withheld from the Japanese authorities of possible atrocities being committed by Three months later, a naval officer sent and public. The donor feared that his Japanese forces in China. a reply to the principal of St. Margaret’s group’s motives might be misconstrued While most letters of sympathy were School, thanking the girls for the cards because of their connection with the U.S. sent to the embassy in Tokyo, a few and letters. The officer noted, “The kind Navy but had no objection to their names were sent to the Navy Department in thoughts of the little girls are appreciated, being published in the United States. Washington, D.C. One noteworthy group and it is requested that you inform them Several American consulates were of letters received by the Navy was from of this acknowledgement.” Although receiving money, too, including the 37 Japanese girls attending St. Margaret’s the girls’ letters were addressed to the consulates at Nagoya, Kobe, Nagasaki, School in Tokyo. The letters, each writ- families of the Panay victims, it does and Osaka, in Japan; Taihoku, Taiwan; ten in English and dated December 24, not appear that they made it any further Keijo (Seoul), Korea; Dairen and Harbin 1937, extended their apologies for the than the Navy Department. in Manchuria; Capetown, South Africa; sinking of the Panay. By coincidence, Other letters from Japanese individu- and São Paulo, Brazil. These contribu- the girls’ letters are dated the same day als and organizations contained gifts of tions were eventually forwarded to the that the Japanese government’s formal money along with expressions of regret. American embassy in Tokyo, where other apology reached Washington. The letters These donations caused a problem for the letters and cards of sympathy and apology are very similar in content. The typical Navy Department. One letter from 10 continued to pour in. While the ambas- letter reads: Japanese men expressed their sympathy sador attempted to turn away many of the Dear Friend! This is a short let- over the Panay incident and included donors, he explained to the secretary of ter, but we want to tell you how a check for $87.19. The men claimed state, “On the other hand, the donations sorry we are for the mistake our to be retired U.S. Navy sailors living are all of trivial amounts so that sentiment airplane[s] made. We want you in Yokohama, and the letter, written by is chiefly involved in the problem and to forgive us I am little and do Kankichi Hashimoto, stated “this little to return the donations might give rise not understand very well, but I monetary gift is the instrument through to a misunderstanding of our attitude.” know they did not mean it. I feel which we hope to be able to further con- Grew kept all money received related to so sorry for those who were hurt vey our sympathy with the bereaved fam- the Panay incident in the embassy safe and killed. I am studying here at ilies of the members of the Panay.” The until the State Department could find St. Margaret’s School which was Navy returned the check but informed a solution. built by many American friends. the gentlemen that the U.S. ambassador State Department officials were con- I am studying English. But I am in Tokyo had received a number of simi- cerned that accepting any money from only thirteen and cannot write lar letters and gifts and that a commit- the Japanese people might interfere very well. All my school-mates are tee was being formed in Japan to accept with the official indemnity the Japanese sorry like myself and wish you to such donations. The donors were almost government had already agreed to pay. forgive our country. To-morrow is back to square one.