To the Editor of the "Norti-Ciina Dany News"
Sir,—The orderly withdrawal of Chinese forces from the Shanghai area last night under cover of intensive rear action firing, audible into the wee hours of this morning closes one of the most spectacular chapters of the history of the Sinokyapanese hostilities of 1937.
Consensus of opinion is that the retreat is not only inevitable but a very tactical move, in view of the unexpected Japanese thrust at Sungkiang, Chinese retirement freely forecasted in the foreign press of Shanghai for the past several days was finally put into eyécution last night.
It must be deuceded that though the Chinese move is strategical, it was made because the under-equipped Chinese could no longer withstand the onslaught of their better armed adversaries in this area. The rank and file of the Chinese army have done their best. None, not even their adversaries could gainsay that they have behaved very gallantly. It is certainly no disgrace to lose fighting as hard as they did.
Their withdrawal to their new line of defence stretching from Chapoo to Liuho actually place them in a stronger position than the tem-Porary line they hastily took up in western Shanghai following their retreat from Chapei-Kiangwan Sector, A. Que.
Shanghai, Nov. 9.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.