Official circles, commenting on the British demarche, said they doubted if it had any legal ground under international law.
They, however, urged the nation to remain watchful, in the belief that ihe British demarche and views reportedly expressed by Mr, Summer Welles, Under-Secretary of State, were an indication of a new wave of anti-Japanese propaganda abroad.
Japan's position regarding the bombing of Canton, it was emphasized. was fully explained in statements issued by the Foreign Office and the Naval Section of the Imperial General Headquarters on June 1. Foreign protests and representations, the officials said, will be dealt with along the lines indicated in these statements.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.