Utilization of a route different from that communicated to the Japanese authorities by a convoy of British cars proceeding from Nanking to Shanghai on Tuesday was yesterday described by a Japanese naval spokesman as the "principal cause" for the machine-gunning of the cars by Japanese airmen.
The Japanese authorities, the spokesman said, were informed by the British Consulate-General that a group of three cars would travel from Nanking to Shanghai on October 12 following roads passing through Ishing, Wushing, Kashing and Sungkiang.
This route, the spokesman pointed out, is on the northern bank of the Whangpoo River, The shooting the spokesman declared, occurred at.a point two miles south of Minghong, on the southern bank of the Whangpoo, This, he declared, involved a complete detour from the originally communicated route that was to have been followed.
Investigations into the circumstances of the shooting were still under way, the spokesman said.
Minghong, the Japanese ofücer emphasized, was an important Chinese military communications and supply centre. Troops, munitions and other supplies, he added, were being transported through the town..
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Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.