Tientsin, June 27, Mr. Ivor House was partially stripped before my eyes today and made to suffer embarrassing indignities while I stood in the searching shack doorway at the Woodrow Wilson Street barrier and watched.
Under orders of a Japanese sentry a Chinese policeman forced Mr. House to disrobe partially and compelled him to open his trousers widely. Mr, House was then ordered to let his trousers fall partially to the ground while the Chinese policeman ran his hand over Mr, House's entire body. a Chinese policeman ran hiv hands On entering the searching shack,
lightly over my pockets and then motioned Mr House and me to a seat, The Japanese on duty glanced briefly at my American passport and identification card and let me go without further examination.
Mr. House and I started out today from his office in the British Concession boundaries. When we came to the barrier we were forced to walk fifty feet down a muddy unprotected alley to a public searching room which is merely part of the only corridor that passes through the searching shack, Turning to the four-point demands, affecting Tientsin, recently presented by the Peiping- "Provisional Government" to the British and French Em-basics in Peiping, General Homma said they had been drawn up by the "Provisional Government" without previous consultation with the Japanese. They roughly represented, however, the views and desires of the Japanese Army.
Asked by a correspondent regardipg the minimum demands of the japanese army at Tientsin, General Homma declared he could not place his cards on the table; and that, furthermore, he had no knowledge of negotiations for a settlement of the Tientsin issue, either locally, in Tokyo or in London.
It was hoped, however, that a settlement might be reached locally.
Turning to the blockade of Tientsin, General Homma emphasized Basis for Negotiations Discussed Tokyo, June 27.
A basis for negotiations on the Tientsin issue is reported to have been discussed at a 40- minute interview last evening
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.