Carrying out the Japanese threat to bomb Nanking, an undisclosed number of naval planes yesterday staged three raids on the capital, said a communique by "the Third Fleet last night, As most of the Chinese military aircraft were shot down in raids of Sept. 19 and 20, only six Chinese planes gave combat. Of this number, four were shot down. Unhindered, the Japanese planes, says the statement, then rdceéded to bomb important buildgs, including the headquarters of the Kuomintang, and the city's communication centres. Other planes staged two raids on Chinese warships on the Yangtsze River, off the Kiangyin Forts. A cruiser of the Ninghai, built in Japan and the Pinghiitype was put on fire, while three smaller vessels were badly damaged, the statement asserted The Hsiakwan and Coal Harbour stations in Nanking were set on fire, the announcement said At the Japanese Press conference yesterday, the spokesman emphasized that the Japanese planes bombing Nanking were taking due predautions to avoid striking foreign-owned property and injuring non-combatant Chinese, despite the warning by Rear-Admiral Hasegawa: The sole Japanese objective, said the spokesman, was to destroy Chinese military establishments to end the present hostilities, They would not be responsible for casualties to persons fear these institutions. Admiral Hasegawa's warning, he said was in force for the duration of the hostilities, As General Chiang Kai-shek was living at Headquarters, hi private residence would not be considered a target for Japanese bombers.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.