Nanking Page #6

in a third-class coach.

Nervous, because sewed into the lining

of my camel's hair greatcoat

were eight reels of 16 mm movie film

of atrocity cases,

most of which were taken

at the university hospital by John Magee.

They were so terrible

that they had to be seen to be believed.

My baggage would undoubtedly

be carefully examined by the military

when we got to Shanghai.

What might happen,

if they discovered these films?

The pictures shown herewith

give but a fragmentary glimpse

of the unspeakable things that happened

following the Japanese occupation

of Nanking on December 13, 1937.

One must remember

that of the thousands injured,

only a small percentage got to the hospital

or were even heard of.

These pictures have been taken

with no thought

of stirring up a spirit of hatred

against the Japanese,

but only with the desire to make

all people realize how horrible war is.

Great care had to be exercised

not to be seen while taking pictures.

Otherwise, the camera

would have been smashed or confiscated.

Fortunately, the reels weren't discovered.

Washington.

I was the guest of Undersecretary of State,

Dr. Stanley Hornbeck,

whom I had known in China,

and I was given the opportunity

to see many people of importance.

And I also showed my films

to newspapermen

and the Foreign Affairs Committee

of the House.

In Los Angeles,

a couple of speeches were lined up for me,

and one, where I showed my films,

caused something of a sensation,

even illness

on the part of a couple of the audience.

And, following the meeting,

a Japanese gentleman approached me

and said that my statements about

the atrocities in Nanking were not true.

They could not be true,

for Japanese were incapable of such acts.

He asked me to retract

some of the things I had said,

and intimated that it would be best for me

if I did so.

I told him that I had many Japanese friends

and knew that most Japanese were

incapable of such acts as I had described.

But, I said, unfortunately,

everything I said was true,

and hence, I could retract nothing.

The war has rolled on

to engulf a thousand other towns like ours.

This story of invasion, massacre,

rape and oppression

will be reenacted among countless

communities in China.

Nanking looks like a garden

that's been devoured by locusts.

The enemy creates a desert

and calls it peace.

At the conclusion of World War II,

the Allies convened

a War Crimes Tribunal in Tokyo.

From the summary judgment,

approximately 20,000 cases of rape

occurred in Nanking

within the first month of the occupation.

Estimates indicate that the total number

of civilians and prisoners of war

murdered in Nanking and its vicinity

during the first six weeks

of the Japanese occupation

was over 200,000.

Do I hate the Japanese? No.

I dislike very much their policy,

and I dislike very much

the way they are treating

the common people of China.

But if I am ever given the opportunity

of doing the same for the Japanese

as we have done here for the Chinese men,

women and children,

I would do the same right over again.

I have deeply loved and respected

the cause of missions and Ginling College.

Had I 10 lives, I would dedicate them all

to this cause of kingdom-building.

But alas, I have failed.

Dearest,

don't think for a moment

that I wouldn't give my right eye

to be with you

and our unbelievably adorable child.

We have been caught up in a cataclysm,

and during the immediate crisis,

until some light

gets thrown upon future events,

it is absolutely essential to sit tight.

I do not regret having stayed on here.

For my presence has saved many lives.

But all the same,

my suffering is indescribable.

The Chinese have an unsurpassed

capacity for suffering and endurance,

in addition to their many other qualities,

and right must triumph in the end.

I shall always be glad

I threw in my lot with them.

Rate this script:4.0 / 1 vote