Nanking Massacre 1937
November, 17th 2012
The Nanking Massacre 1937 In December of 1937 the Japanese attacked and invaded Nanking China by beating the Chinese Army. For the next six weeks the biggest atrocities of World War 2 were committed. Women were raped repeatedly; some were even raped until they died. Pregnant women would get mutilated, men and young boys were killed by the bayonet, and Chinese soldiers were shot and hung all over the City. The Japanese deny the accusations and say the Massacre never happened. Before the Japanese took the Nanking in December, the Japanese bombed Nanking numerous times from September to late November. After all the Bombings the Chinese Laborers would get out and clean the streets up, move debris, laid new telephone …show more content…
line and fixed broken water mains. The spokesman for the Chinese Government on Sept. 26th 1937 said, “We are not surprised by the barbarity and the military insignificance of Saturday’s attack but we are unanimously determined to hold our Nation’s Capital and we refuse even to consider the possibility of being driven out” (New York Times, 6). Foreign Observers had doubt about the Chinese holding their capital agents the Japanese. On December 13th 1937 foreign observers were proven correct, and the Japanese took Nanking (New Your Times, 6). The Japanese government said after the Chinese defeated at Nanking “This is the most humiliating chapter in Chinese History” (Newsweek). Japan along with other Asian Countries and most of the Chinese believed that the Chinese Nationalist Government has “Lost Face” (Newsweek). When the Japanese were closing in on the City of Nanking the Chinese moved the government to a new city. The Chinese did this so Japan would not attack the Capital but also to make a buffer zone between then and the Japanese Military. When the government left Nanking some 400,000,000 people left the city as well. Even though many people left Nanking lots of people decided to stay as well, some even stayed to fight in a few areas of the city. When Japanese first got into the city were forced back in some areas by guerillas. Some guerilla fighting occurred but they did not have the people to be really that affective in the long run agents the Japanese (Abend) (Newsweek). In Nanking when the Japanese took over there was a German named John Rabe, who was businessman who owned the Chinese branch of the Siemens Company. He was made president of the Foreign Ministry Committee and they set up the Safe Zone in the city of Nanking. Rabe was a Nazi and he used that to protect himself. He even let some Chinese stay in the Courtyard of his house. He showed the Japanese soliders his Nazi arm band one time so he would not get robbed. Rade did not like what the Japanese were doing to the Chinese. Rabe said, “What the Japanese is doing is awful and I don’t know how they can do this things to people” (Rabe). On December 25 Rabe was talking to others in the Foreign Ministry about how they needed to register all the people in the Safe Zone for the Japanese. There was 200,000 Chinese in the Safe zone and they needed all this done by January 4th 1938. The Japanese were going to pick 17,000 males to be executed or to be put in Labor Camps and they were going to pick lots of young women to be used as sex slaves for Japanese soliders’ and officers (Rabe, 96). Rabe tells how he used to sleep with his boots at night, that way if someone breaks in his house, he would be ready in an instant to protect himself and his workers. Rabe was a Nazi and he worked with the Americans to protect innocent people (Rabe). One eyewitness to the Massacres was Miner S. Bates. Bates wrote over the course of 13 days 13 letters to the Japanese embassy telling the Japanese Government of all the atrocities going on in Nanking. Bates talks a lot about all the atrocities happening in the safe zone of Nanking. The safe zone is the area of Nanking was the United States controls. He says that the Japanese would come and steal from the Chinese in the safe zone. The Japanese also beat people, and take girls and women away and rape the repeatedly before letting them go. Even some of the Americans in Nanking were being beat and sent to work camps by the Japanese. On December 25th 1937 Miner S. Bates Said “New parties of stray soldiers without discipline or officers are going everywhere; stealing raping and taking away women (Bates, 10).” This same thing happened all over Nanking in the Safe Zone and the Non safe zone. The Safe zone that was set up was better to live in than the non safe Zone. Miner S. Bates is just one of many people who witnessed the Massacre of Nanking (Bates). Another American eyewitness to the Nanking Massacre was W. P. Mills. First, on the 22th of December he wrote a letter to the Japanese telling them to keep control of their soliders. He complained about the Japanese stealing from Americans and the U.S. embassy and also tearing down and destroying our Flags. Mills in a Letter to his wife told her of how the Japanese did not want the safe zone but finally gave in.Mills goes on to tell about how the Japanese went into the Safe Zone and robbed from the Chinese again and again until they only had the clothes on their backs. Also he expands the horror of the women being taken away and use as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers or officers. Mills finally told his wife about the Japanese just taking men from their families and making work until the men worked to death or got shot (Mills 245-249). James H. MicCallum was another American Missionary in Nanking China during the Nanking Massacre. The three words MicCallum used to describe the Massacre was “Rape! Rape! Rape” (MicCallum, 229). In one night there was over 1000 cases reported of people being raped. He said that Chinese Civilians would bow down to him and other foreigners to protect them from the Japanese. In the Safe zone there was not enough staff to be at every building all the time so they could not protect everyone all the time. But if there was a staff at a building they can usally stop the rape from happening. MicCallum goes on to say that the City of Nanking is cut off and isolated from the World. No one could get in to the city. Foreigners could get out of the city but it was very hard. The Foreign Ministry wanted to send someone with a newspaper reporting the atrocities that the Japanese were doing. What held them back was if one person got out they could not get back in to the City and the Ministry would be even less help (MicCallum, 228-231). New York Times Journalist F. Tillman went and wrote on the Japanese Massacre in Nanking. Tillman in his first article said, that the Japanese would have won the hearts of the Chinese if they would not have started the massacre (Tillman). The Chinese liked the Japanese for getting the foreigners out of China. When the Japanese marched into Nanking some of the Chinese were cheering for them. But after the Chinese were starting to get rape beat, robbed, and killed the Chinese look to the foreigners for help to save them. Tillman In his forth article told how the Japanese killed all the Chinese solders that were still in or out of uniform. There were no Prisoners of War to the Japanese so Chinese were taken out and executed. Some soldiers got in civilian clothes to see if they would not get caught. The Japanese went around and took know and suspected Chinese soldiers. Some of the men they took were never in the military. When they took the suspected soldiers away they were killed in mass executions by rifle or machine gun fire. Another method of killing the Chinese soldier’s was by using them for bayonet practice. Chinese Offices were usually beheaded by a Samurai sword (Tillman). Tillman wrote a fifth and final article. He tells of the death everywhere. The dead bodies of people lay in the streets and in some places the bodies stacked up 6 ft high. “The Japanese want to leave the carnage out for everyone to see as long as possible” (Tillman). The American ran university hospital was overrun with people and many will not get the right help. The hospital has five times the people it could help, because the building was too small, there was not enough doctors or nurses to help, and they didn’t have enough supplies to go around (Tillman). In Chinese newspapers before the Japanese took the Nanking over they said that there would be a safe Zone in the City.
On December 9th 1937 30,000 Chinese flooded into the Safe Zone in the matter of a few hours. Them on the 17th of 1937 50,000 men under the age of 40 were killed in a mass execution. Articles, from the China Press a Chinese paper written in English and the New York Times made it to Japan and the Japanese Government was outraged. The Japanese said that the Japanese troops would not ever do such things like that. The Japanese claimed it was Chinese Bandits that was doing all the atrocities. They also say the China Press embellished the story and replaced the Chinese with the Japanese to make them Japanese look like the bad guys (Wakabayashi, …show more content…
249-251). During the time of the Japanese control of Nanking about 75 percent of the deaths in the city were by the Japanese military, and 98 percent of the injuries in the city were due to the Japanese Military. The people of Nanking during this time on average lost about 11 percent of their income due to the Japanese control. There was about 246 Million in Chinese dollars of property Damage in Nanking do to the occupation by Japan, in fact 31 percent of the damage was due to robbery and the other 67 percent was due to all the fires in the city. It will take years to rebuild the city of Nanking (B.W.P. 220-222). Christopher Chancellor wrote in an article in International affairs about one of his Japanese friends, who he would not give his name. Christopher friend told him the things he says were horrific. He told of all the dead bodies in the streets, they were all bloated, covered and surrounded by blood. His friend said it was hard for someone to exaggerate what you see in the City of Nanking. Another thing that Christopher friend told him was the talk a Japanese officer had a talk with his men. The officer told the men that what they were doing in the city with the robbing, raping, and killing is bringing dishonor to the Japanese Army. However this did not stop the atrocities in Nanking. This shows that even the Japanese were horrified by the Nanking Massacre (Chancellor, 206). Vautrin was a member of the Foreign Ministry.
She wrote in her diary that some of the more well off Chinese in the city of Nanking made and hung their own Japanese flags. The thought was that the Japanese would treat them better than the others. That was not the case; all of them got the same treatment as everyone else. She tells how you get use to the sight of dead bodies laying in the streets, but you still do not get use to seeing all the men and children getting shot or bayoneted, or of seeing young women getting raped again and again and then getting shot after their duty was done. Vautrin thinks that it will all get better some day, but after seeing all this it was hard for her to think it will get better (Hua-ling Hu, 35-37). Tsen was another member of the Foreign Ministry. She wrote in her diary about seven Japanese soldiers that came to her building in the Safe Zone. The soldiers did not do anything to any of the refugees but one. This Young man was Terrified he would be killed and the soldiers saw that. They ordered him to stand up and take all his clothes off with a bayonet in his face. Once he was naked the soldiers left him alone, which by then the man was shacking and cry very loudly. Then the Japanese Solders sawthe American Flag on the flag pole and they ordered a servant at the building to take the flag down. Before the servant could the soldiers were scared away by other Foreign Ministry Members (Wakabayashi,
37). Six weeks after the Massacre started it finally ended at the end of January. An Article by H.J. Timperley, he states that the world cannot make them pay like Germany after World War 1. He tells that if they get harsh punishment like Germany, another war could be started by Japan in the future. Timperley does think Japan should be punished but after the war the Ally Nations should help Japan be rebuilt them and model them after a Democratic Nation, like the United States (B. W. P522-524).
Work Cited
A. W. C. What War Means. Pacific Affairs, University of British Columbia. Pg. 522-524. Vol. 11, No. 4, Dec. 1938. Web. Nov. 13, 2012.
Abend, Hallett. Chinese Confident as Foe Pushes On. New York Times, New York Times (1851-2009). Pg. 10, July 6, 1938. Web. Nov. 15, 2012.
Bates, Miner S. Eyewitnesses to Massacre, East Gate Book, New York. Pg. 3-81. 2001. Print Nov. 15, 2012.
B. W. P. Damage in the Nanking Area. Pacific Affairs, University of British Columbia. Pg 220-222. Vol. 12, No. 2, Jun. 1939. Web. Nov. 13, 2012.
Chancellor, Christopher. Japan in China. International Affairs, wiley-Blackwell. Pg. 601-622. Vol.18, No. 5, Sep.-Oct. 1939. Web. Nov. 13, 2012.
McCallum, James H. Eyewitness to Massacre, East Gate Book, New York. Pg. 228-242. 2001. Print. Nov. 15, 2012.
Mills, Plumer W. Eyewitness to Massacre, East Gate Book, New York. Pg. 243-250. 2001. Print. Nov. 16, 2012.
Newsweek. Disaster at Nanking Spells End of Chinese Republic. Newsweek Magazine. Pg. 57, Dec. 20, 1937. Web. Nov. 20 2012
Rabe, John. The Good Man of Nanking. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. Pg.88-106. Translated 1998. Print. Nov. 20, 2012.
Tillman, Durdin F. All Captives Slain, New York Times, New York Times (1851-2009).Dec. 17, 1937. Web. Nov. 20, 2012.
Tillman, Durdin F. Civilians Also Killed as the Japanese Spread Terror in Nanking. York Times, New York Times (1851-2009) Dec. 18, 2012. Web. Nov. 20, 2012. Tillman, Durdin F. Capital Fall Laid to Poor Tacticse to Chiang Kai-Shek and Leaders’ Flight. York Times, New York Times (1851-2009). Dec. 19, 1937. Web. Nov. 20, 2012.
Tillman, Durdin F. Third of Army Trapped. York Times, New York Times (1851-2009). Dec. 20, 1937. Web. Nov. 20, 2012.
Vautrin, Minnie. The Undaunted Women of Nanking. Southern Illinois University. 2010. Web. Nov. 21, 2012.
Waskayashi, Bob Tadashi. The Nanking Atrocity 1937-38. Berghahn Books, New York. Pg. 248-254. 2007. Print. Nov. 20, 2012.
The Nanking Massacre 1937 In December of 1937 the Japanese attacked and invaded Nanking China by beating the Chinese Army. For the next six weeks the biggest atrocities of World War 2 were committed. Women were raped repeatedly; some were even raped until they died. Pregnant women would get mutilated, men and young boys were killed by the bayonet, and Chinese soldiers were shot and hung all over the City. The Japanese deny the accusations and say the Massacre never happened. Before the Japanese took the Nanking in December, the Japanese bombed Nanking numerous times from September to late November. After all the Bombings the Chinese Laborers would get out and clean the streets up, move debris, laid new telephone …show more content…
line and fixed broken water mains. The spokesman for the Chinese Government on Sept. 26th 1937 said, “We are not surprised by the barbarity and the military insignificance of Saturday’s attack but we are unanimously determined to hold our Nation’s Capital and we refuse even to consider the possibility of being driven out” (New York Times, 6). Foreign Observers had doubt about the Chinese holding their capital agents the Japanese. On December 13th 1937 foreign observers were proven correct, and the Japanese took Nanking (New Your Times, 6). The Japanese government said after the Chinese defeated at Nanking “This is the most humiliating chapter in Chinese History” (Newsweek). Japan along with other Asian Countries and most of the Chinese believed that the Chinese Nationalist Government has “Lost Face” (Newsweek). When the Japanese were closing in on the City of Nanking the Chinese moved the government to a new city. The Chinese did this so Japan would not attack the Capital but also to make a buffer zone between then and the Japanese Military. When the government left Nanking some 400,000,000 people left the city as well. Even though many people left Nanking lots of people decided to stay as well, some even stayed to fight in a few areas of the city. When Japanese first got into the city were forced back in some areas by guerillas. Some guerilla fighting occurred but they did not have the people to be really that affective in the long run agents the Japanese (Abend) (Newsweek). In Nanking when the Japanese took over there was a German named John Rabe, who was businessman who owned the Chinese branch of the Siemens Company. He was made president of the Foreign Ministry Committee and they set up the Safe Zone in the city of Nanking. Rabe was a Nazi and he used that to protect himself. He even let some Chinese stay in the Courtyard of his house. He showed the Japanese soliders his Nazi arm band one time so he would not get robbed. Rade did not like what the Japanese were doing to the Chinese. Rabe said, “What the Japanese is doing is awful and I don’t know how they can do this things to people” (Rabe). On December 25 Rabe was talking to others in the Foreign Ministry about how they needed to register all the people in the Safe Zone for the Japanese. There was 200,000 Chinese in the Safe zone and they needed all this done by January 4th 1938. The Japanese were going to pick 17,000 males to be executed or to be put in Labor Camps and they were going to pick lots of young women to be used as sex slaves for Japanese soliders’ and officers (Rabe, 96). Rabe tells how he used to sleep with his boots at night, that way if someone breaks in his house, he would be ready in an instant to protect himself and his workers. Rabe was a Nazi and he worked with the Americans to protect innocent people (Rabe). One eyewitness to the Massacres was Miner S. Bates. Bates wrote over the course of 13 days 13 letters to the Japanese embassy telling the Japanese Government of all the atrocities going on in Nanking. Bates talks a lot about all the atrocities happening in the safe zone of Nanking. The safe zone is the area of Nanking was the United States controls. He says that the Japanese would come and steal from the Chinese in the safe zone. The Japanese also beat people, and take girls and women away and rape the repeatedly before letting them go. Even some of the Americans in Nanking were being beat and sent to work camps by the Japanese. On December 25th 1937 Miner S. Bates Said “New parties of stray soldiers without discipline or officers are going everywhere; stealing raping and taking away women (Bates, 10).” This same thing happened all over Nanking in the Safe Zone and the Non safe zone. The Safe zone that was set up was better to live in than the non safe Zone. Miner S. Bates is just one of many people who witnessed the Massacre of Nanking (Bates). Another American eyewitness to the Nanking Massacre was W. P. Mills. First, on the 22th of December he wrote a letter to the Japanese telling them to keep control of their soliders. He complained about the Japanese stealing from Americans and the U.S. embassy and also tearing down and destroying our Flags. Mills in a Letter to his wife told her of how the Japanese did not want the safe zone but finally gave in.Mills goes on to tell about how the Japanese went into the Safe Zone and robbed from the Chinese again and again until they only had the clothes on their backs. Also he expands the horror of the women being taken away and use as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers or officers. Mills finally told his wife about the Japanese just taking men from their families and making work until the men worked to death or got shot (Mills 245-249). James H. MicCallum was another American Missionary in Nanking China during the Nanking Massacre. The three words MicCallum used to describe the Massacre was “Rape! Rape! Rape” (MicCallum, 229). In one night there was over 1000 cases reported of people being raped. He said that Chinese Civilians would bow down to him and other foreigners to protect them from the Japanese. In the Safe zone there was not enough staff to be at every building all the time so they could not protect everyone all the time. But if there was a staff at a building they can usally stop the rape from happening. MicCallum goes on to say that the City of Nanking is cut off and isolated from the World. No one could get in to the city. Foreigners could get out of the city but it was very hard. The Foreign Ministry wanted to send someone with a newspaper reporting the atrocities that the Japanese were doing. What held them back was if one person got out they could not get back in to the City and the Ministry would be even less help (MicCallum, 228-231). New York Times Journalist F. Tillman went and wrote on the Japanese Massacre in Nanking. Tillman in his first article said, that the Japanese would have won the hearts of the Chinese if they would not have started the massacre (Tillman). The Chinese liked the Japanese for getting the foreigners out of China. When the Japanese marched into Nanking some of the Chinese were cheering for them. But after the Chinese were starting to get rape beat, robbed, and killed the Chinese look to the foreigners for help to save them. Tillman In his forth article told how the Japanese killed all the Chinese solders that were still in or out of uniform. There were no Prisoners of War to the Japanese so Chinese were taken out and executed. Some soldiers got in civilian clothes to see if they would not get caught. The Japanese went around and took know and suspected Chinese soldiers. Some of the men they took were never in the military. When they took the suspected soldiers away they were killed in mass executions by rifle or machine gun fire. Another method of killing the Chinese soldier’s was by using them for bayonet practice. Chinese Offices were usually beheaded by a Samurai sword (Tillman). Tillman wrote a fifth and final article. He tells of the death everywhere. The dead bodies of people lay in the streets and in some places the bodies stacked up 6 ft high. “The Japanese want to leave the carnage out for everyone to see as long as possible” (Tillman). The American ran university hospital was overrun with people and many will not get the right help. The hospital has five times the people it could help, because the building was too small, there was not enough doctors or nurses to help, and they didn’t have enough supplies to go around (Tillman). In Chinese newspapers before the Japanese took the Nanking over they said that there would be a safe Zone in the City.
On December 9th 1937 30,000 Chinese flooded into the Safe Zone in the matter of a few hours. Them on the 17th of 1937 50,000 men under the age of 40 were killed in a mass execution. Articles, from the China Press a Chinese paper written in English and the New York Times made it to Japan and the Japanese Government was outraged. The Japanese said that the Japanese troops would not ever do such things like that. The Japanese claimed it was Chinese Bandits that was doing all the atrocities. They also say the China Press embellished the story and replaced the Chinese with the Japanese to make them Japanese look like the bad guys (Wakabayashi, …show more content…
249-251). During the time of the Japanese control of Nanking about 75 percent of the deaths in the city were by the Japanese military, and 98 percent of the injuries in the city were due to the Japanese Military. The people of Nanking during this time on average lost about 11 percent of their income due to the Japanese control. There was about 246 Million in Chinese dollars of property Damage in Nanking do to the occupation by Japan, in fact 31 percent of the damage was due to robbery and the other 67 percent was due to all the fires in the city. It will take years to rebuild the city of Nanking (B.W.P. 220-222). Christopher Chancellor wrote in an article in International affairs about one of his Japanese friends, who he would not give his name. Christopher friend told him the things he says were horrific. He told of all the dead bodies in the streets, they were all bloated, covered and surrounded by blood. His friend said it was hard for someone to exaggerate what you see in the City of Nanking. Another thing that Christopher friend told him was the talk a Japanese officer had a talk with his men. The officer told the men that what they were doing in the city with the robbing, raping, and killing is bringing dishonor to the Japanese Army. However this did not stop the atrocities in Nanking. This shows that even the Japanese were horrified by the Nanking Massacre (Chancellor, 206). Vautrin was a member of the Foreign Ministry.
She wrote in her diary that some of the more well off Chinese in the city of Nanking made and hung their own Japanese flags. The thought was that the Japanese would treat them better than the others. That was not the case; all of them got the same treatment as everyone else. She tells how you get use to the sight of dead bodies laying in the streets, but you still do not get use to seeing all the men and children getting shot or bayoneted, or of seeing young women getting raped again and again and then getting shot after their duty was done. Vautrin thinks that it will all get better some day, but after seeing all this it was hard for her to think it will get better (Hua-ling Hu, 35-37). Tsen was another member of the Foreign Ministry. She wrote in her diary about seven Japanese soldiers that came to her building in the Safe Zone. The soldiers did not do anything to any of the refugees but one. This Young man was Terrified he would be killed and the soldiers saw that. They ordered him to stand up and take all his clothes off with a bayonet in his face. Once he was naked the soldiers left him alone, which by then the man was shacking and cry very loudly. Then the Japanese Solders sawthe American Flag on the flag pole and they ordered a servant at the building to take the flag down. Before the servant could the soldiers were scared away by other Foreign Ministry Members (Wakabayashi,
37). Six weeks after the Massacre started it finally ended at the end of January. An Article by H.J. Timperley, he states that the world cannot make them pay like Germany after World War 1. He tells that if they get harsh punishment like Germany, another war could be started by Japan in the future. Timperley does think Japan should be punished but after the war the Ally Nations should help Japan be rebuilt them and model them after a Democratic Nation, like the United States (B. W. P522-524).
Work Cited
A. W. C. What War Means. Pacific Affairs, University of British Columbia. Pg. 522-524. Vol. 11, No. 4, Dec. 1938. Web. Nov. 13, 2012.
Abend, Hallett. Chinese Confident as Foe Pushes On. New York Times, New York Times (1851-2009). Pg. 10, July 6, 1938. Web. Nov. 15, 2012.
Bates, Miner S. Eyewitnesses to Massacre, East Gate Book, New York. Pg. 3-81. 2001. Print Nov. 15, 2012.
B. W. P. Damage in the Nanking Area. Pacific Affairs, University of British Columbia. Pg 220-222. Vol. 12, No. 2, Jun. 1939. Web. Nov. 13, 2012.
Chancellor, Christopher. Japan in China. International Affairs, wiley-Blackwell. Pg. 601-622. Vol.18, No. 5, Sep.-Oct. 1939. Web. Nov. 13, 2012.
McCallum, James H. Eyewitness to Massacre, East Gate Book, New York. Pg. 228-242. 2001. Print. Nov. 15, 2012.
Mills, Plumer W. Eyewitness to Massacre, East Gate Book, New York. Pg. 243-250. 2001. Print. Nov. 16, 2012.
Newsweek. Disaster at Nanking Spells End of Chinese Republic. Newsweek Magazine. Pg. 57, Dec. 20, 1937. Web. Nov. 20 2012
Rabe, John. The Good Man of Nanking. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. Pg.88-106. Translated 1998. Print. Nov. 20, 2012.
Tillman, Durdin F. All Captives Slain, New York Times, New York Times (1851-2009).Dec. 17, 1937. Web. Nov. 20, 2012.
Tillman, Durdin F. Civilians Also Killed as the Japanese Spread Terror in Nanking. York Times, New York Times (1851-2009) Dec. 18, 2012. Web. Nov. 20, 2012. Tillman, Durdin F. Capital Fall Laid to Poor Tacticse to Chiang Kai-Shek and Leaders’ Flight. York Times, New York Times (1851-2009). Dec. 19, 1937. Web. Nov. 20, 2012.
Tillman, Durdin F. Third of Army Trapped. York Times, New York Times (1851-2009). Dec. 20, 1937. Web. Nov. 20, 2012.
Vautrin, Minnie. The Undaunted Women of Nanking. Southern Illinois University. 2010. Web. Nov. 21, 2012.
Waskayashi, Bob Tadashi. The Nanking Atrocity 1937-38. Berghahn Books, New York. Pg. 248-254. 2007. Print. Nov. 20, 2012.