¶ Allegation
At a battle in Nanking, in a capital of Republic of China (Dec 1937 to Jan/Feb 1938) on Japan vs Han Chinese Chiang Kai-shek (KMT: Kuomintang Republic of China) 2nd Sino-Japanese war, Westerners in Nanking, mostly American journalists and pastors, accused Japanese soldiers for raping and killing massive civilians. After WW2, at Tokyo trial in 1946-48, the burial record was submitted by Republic of China showing a total buried body count 260K. The Japanese commander at Nanking battle Iwane Matsui was summoned on trial and executed.
¶ Conclusion (Truth)
Nanking massacre is the propaganda made up twice.
First one is by American Journalists and pastors who sided with Chiang kai-shek/Soong mei-ling at a battle in 1937-38. They also used other nationalities to spread their propaganda.
There was no such massacre of Chinese civilians by the Japanese. No such photos proving that Japanese killed civilians (See Nanking fake photos). None of the Westerners actually saw Japanese soldiers killing civilians in person (See Did they actually see?) They only saw the dead bodies or the injured not knowing who did it, or they saw Japanese killing soldiers, whom they thought were civilians. It was Chiang kai-shek who ordered to execute Chinese people as traitors even several months before the battle on December in Nanking. He escaped irresponsibly without giving any proper order to his soldiers. When Japanese leader Matsui gave KMT an ultimatum to surrender to avoid unnecessary war, killing and damaging ancient buildings, KMT ignored it. Then on the evening on 12th December right before Japanese entered Nanking on 13th, KMT sub leader Tang escaped. The remained Chinese soldiers went to a huge panic and ended up with killing each other by other Chinese troops who were ordered to shoot anyone trying to escape (Yijiang Gate massacre). The devastating scene was described as “a terrible holocaust “ by Fitch and also he says thousands of them drowned at Yangtze river, including civilians. The similar descriptions can be found in Chinese KMT sources too. Even worse, the other Chinese soldiers escaped into safety zone in a city where they were not supposed to, stashed their weapons and wore civilian clothings terrorizing a city. Japanese military saw it as a threat and moped them up, which Westerners probably thought civilians were killed.
Second one is made up at Tokyo trial in 1946-48 by war winners after WW2, the US and Republic of China. After the battle, Japanese hired Chinese burial team, Red Swastika, to clean up the city, which was recognized by Westerners too. The initial burial record in 1938 from Red Swastika shows only 40K bodies (the record submitted at Tokyo trial shows female/child rate is only 0.3 percent) but it is still exaggerated to make money with doubtful records on snowy days. But surprisingly after Japan lost WW2 in 1945, a new list of burial records by other groups with 220K bodies suddenly appeared and submitted at Tokyo trial by Republic Of China, claiming the sum of all death toll soaring up to 260K (surpassing Hiroshima/Nagasaki atomic bomb victims, 210K) (See Burial Record) to justify atomic bombs. The court on Tokyo trial whose judges are from war winner nations acknowledged the massacre and Japanese general Matsui Iwane was executed, who had nothing to do with Pacific war against the US.
Mao never mentioned Nanking massacre or Wang Jingwei in Nanking government who took over Nanking in 1940 two years later after Nanking battle. Chiang kai-shek first mentioned Japanese barbaric act in Nanking in his diary in 1938 next day, Bates, American pastor who was also an advisor or Republic of China, posted his article in media. Currently CCP took over Nanking propaganda, and built Nanking massacre museum in 1985 where there used to be a monument, 雨花台烈士稜園, built by Mao in 1950 saying the Kuomintang government massacred 300,000 Communist martyrs at Yuhuatai.
It is also noteworthy that six months after Nanking battle, Chiang ordered to bomb a river dyke to halt Japanese troops causing Yellow River Flood killing up to a million of Chinese people while Japanese military worked hard to save them. Yet, the US medias never condemned Chiang‘s inhumane act but reported as an act of Japanese with Chinese source. Chiang kai-shek relocated his government to Chongqing while two years later in 1940 Wang Jingwei anti-communist new peaceful Chinese government was established in Nanking. Chiang called it Japanese puppet in his letter to Franklin Roosevelt who later financially and Militarily supported Chiang. In 1941, Franklin Roosevelt sent the ultimatum to Japan as a condition of releasing the embargo against Japan, by demanding Japan to support only Chongqing government (Japanese enemy, Chiang kai-shek) , denying Nanking gov(Wang Jingwei), forcing Japan no choice but the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Quick Summary
I made 4 flashcard-like summaries as a simple takeaway.
Go to the details describing above.
¶ Details
¶ A Brief history of Chiang kai-shek 's Republic Of China since 1928
Nanking is the capital of Republic Of China(ROC). Its leader is Chiang kai-shek, the opponent of Japanese on 2nd Sino-Japanese war. Chiang was not even elected in a democratic way by locals, but he was a dictator, who married with Soon Mei-ling from wealthy Soong family , Zhejiang financial cliqu 浙江財閥. In fact, Republic Of China was first recognized by the US in 1928 by T.V. Soong( a brother of Soong meiling) and MacMurray after the US battleship shelling Nanking city, Nanking Massacre in 1927 as a retaliation of Chinese soldiers killed several westerners including Americans and Japanese. Chiang kai-shek apologized to the US and US made him a leader of “China” by supporting him , which had been on the disorder state in civil war with multiple dictators.
¶ The terror of Chiang Kai-shek Nanking regime
Even before Nanking battle began, Chiang Kai-shek has executed 2000 Chinese civilians for a suspicion of traitors. The closer the date of battle against Japan got , the more execution KMT did. None of these incidents showing the atrocious side of KMT were mentioned in John Rabe's diary.
Source: Henderson daily dispatch(2nd November in 1937)
Japanese Archive film 戦線後方記録映画 南京 (Sen sen kou hou kiroku eiga, Nanking)
Japanese newspaper says Nanking has became a dead city, and beheaded heads everywhere. Oddly if you read John Rabe's diary on the same period, none of the terrifying nature of Chiang's regime was mentioned, but only a normal happy day life. why?
On 9th Dec 1937, KMT top leader, Chiang Kai-shek and his wife Soong Mei-ling fled away with US pilot airplane leaving Chinese commander, Tang alone. Chiang is the one who made a speech to their soldiers saying anyone who is trying to escape will get shot. Yet he himself fled away.
Japanese leader Iwane Matsui, a good man, sent a message to surrender to spare Chinese soldiers‘ lives and to protect the ancient building in Nanking.
Yet Chinese KMT refused and decided to fight till the last drop of a blood absorbed in the land.
¶ Anti-Japanese propagandists always REFUSED to mention the inconvenient truth that KMT Chinese soldiers have executed 2000 Chinese civilians since September and there was a terrible holocaust made by Chinese soldiers on 12th at north gate of Nanking and river right before Japanese entry on 13th from south gate.
Have you heard people say denying Nanking massacre is like denying holocaust? They don’t know Nanking, guess what?? There was the description saying “a terrible holocaust” in Nanking, but right BEFORE Japanese entered.
On 12th Dec evening, right before the battle, Tang escaped from Nanking, which put the KMT soldiers into a huge panic and they tried to escape as well out of a walled city heading to a north gate, but there was “a terrible holocaust” as Fitch’s note says, the other Chinese soldiers who were ordered to kill those trying to escape shot Chinese soldiers including civilians. Furthermore at the north bay at Yangtze River thousands of Chinese soldiers tried to cross a river and drowned BEFORE Japanese reached on 13th morning. This is all because of the irresponsible Chinese leaders who refused Japanese peaceful proposal and escaped without giving the remained soldiers a proper order.
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What a mess!! Japanese newspaper, Mainichi says about 5000 Chinese soldiers escaped into Safety Zone where they were not supposed to as below.
Now Japan had to clean up this mess.
After Nanking fall on 13th Dec in 1937, the order of Nanking city was restored. The terror of regime by Chiang Kai-shek ended, and a new autonomous government was set up. Then in 1940 Wang Jingwei anti-communist Nanking government of Republic Of China, as a better alternative of Chiang kai-shek , was established.
The collection of authentic photos of Nanking after the order was restored.
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Some Chinese POW were treated, retrained and released by Japanese . But some others were executed (which is explained later below).
(Below) Japanese medial organization Dou-Jin-Kai(同仁会) supported by Japanese government offered a free vaccination to 400000 Chinese people in Nanking on June 1938, only 5 months after the battle.
¶ None of Westerners saw Japanese killing civilians in person for sure
Eyewitness of massacre? No. Unless you actually see someone killing someone else in person, you can't call yourself eyewitness. When you find a passage in books saying “Japanese killed civilians”, you need to check carefully. did they actually see it or just dead bodies? or it wasn't civilians killed, or hearsay.
¶ John Magee and his photos and films
John Magee, one of American pastors took photos and films of the injured and dead bodies and summoned to Tokyo trial. He confessed that he only saw a single case of killing in person where he saw from balcony Japanese soldiers shoot Chinese man running away during interrogation. The rest is all hearsay. None of his films was submitted to the court, probably they also have the scenes of the girls smiling.
¶ Good Nazi? John Rabe
There is no description in John Rabe's diary that he actually saw Japanese killing civilians in person. He is criticized by the other German, Scharfenberg for hearing from only one side.
See more detail about John Rabe.
Some might think Germany was allied with Japan. This is not exactly right. Germany was supporting Chiang kai-shek with German advisor, Alexander von Falkenhausen. Hiller got close to Japan after seeing Chiang's inability at Nanking battle.
While many Chinese soldiers were escaping to north and ended up with getting shot or drowned at Yangtze river, many other Chinese soldiers flooded into Safety Zone where they are not supposed to enter, and stashed their weapons in school or foreign embassies pretending to be civilians while committing crimes (See KMT crimes). What a mess!!! all because of irresponsible Chinese KMT leaders!!
Japanese military decided a mopping operation for the concern of the safety of the city where KMT still attacked Japanese troops by air raid on 2rd, 16th on Jan 1938 to take back Nanking (See Soviet involvement).
Yet, Americans sided with Chiang Kai-shek took it as a massacre and spread anti-Japanese propaganda to the world and even worse, they helped Chinese KMT soldiers hide in Safety Zone, which is the completely unneutral act.
¶ How Americans made up Nanking Massacre twice.
Generally you hear, Nanking massacre, Japanese killed “200K or more”. But this is “the second” propaganda which appeared suddenly after WW2 at Tokyo trial to justify the US atomic bombs. Originally, at the time of Nanking battle, even Chiang kai-shek claimed only 20K, American pastor claimed 40K. In this section, it clarifies how the propaganda was made by Americans, and how Chinese, Chiang kai-shek and later now CCP took over.
¶ First Nanking propaganda (1937 Dec - 1938)
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American Journalists
Since a battle at Shanghai, American journalists had been on the side of Han Chinese Chiang Kai-shek and his wife, Soong Mei-ling. They spread anti-Japanese propaganda in a direct manner such as newspapers or journals with their names on them. Especially at Nanking battle, Steel, McDaniel, and Durdin reported biased stories against Japan, which were observed by Japanese military. The trend of US bias media even went further on June (6 month after Nanking battle) when Chiang bombed Yellow river to cause a flood to attack Japanese troops, causing up to a million of Chinese civilian's death , NY times said Japanese did it citing Chinese source and no single condemnation against Chiang for his inhumane act and posted his wife's posts while Japanese military was straggling with rescuing Chinese people (See Yellow River Flood and Spanish newspaper’s criticism).
The world first report about Nanking massacre from The Chicago Daily News 15th on Dec1937 written by Steel below is already fake with misleading the title Japanese atrocity describing “Bodies Piled 5 Feet High in Streets”, which actually is Yijiang Gate massacre made by Chinese on 12th Dec evening right BEFORE Japanese entered a walled city.
He mentioned he saw dead bodies, but he never says he saw Japanese killing them in person. He only says he saw Japanese jabbing Chinese civilians. But was it really civilian or one of those escaping into Safety zone switching their uniform to civilian clothing when Japanese were on the mopping operation.
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American pastors
While journalists spread propaganda in a direct or explicit manner, American pastors such as Fitch, Bates, his subordinate Smyth, and his senior Mills did in a more indirect, manipulative or elaborate way like anonymously writing articles on newspapers and books or using other nationalities such as German John Rabe, Australian Timperley, without getting themselves involved explicitly. American pastors were close to Chiang and Soong. As shown below, Bates was the KMT advisor working for Chiang kai-shek and reward twice. China born Fitch and his wife were friends of Soong Mei-ling, this couple were anti-Japanese activist supporting Korean terrorists or agitating American public into attacking Japan. I couldn't find any record that any of these pastors condemned Chiang kai-shek for Yellow River Flood.
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Actually the close relationship between Chiang Kai-shek and US pastors in Nanking had started as early as 1931 when Chiang had become Christian and protected Christianity in Nanking for a political reason while other Chinese leaders did not as Mills‘s paper described below.
¶ Who told Nanking massacre fake story to Chiang? Answer: Bates
If any massacre to Chinese by Japanese had occurred, Republic Of China, Chiang kai-shek should be the first person raising his voice and accusing Japan for its crime. Oddly, Chiang's first mention of Japanese killing people in Nanking appeared on Jan 21st on his dairy, which is the next day of this mysterious post on North China Daily News. The description of 8000 or 20K rapes(almost impossible as explained later) is what Bates has been saying at Tokyo trial too. In other words, Bates as KMT advisor made up Nanking massacre and told its story to Chiang. Therefore, Nanking massacre was not made up by Chinese Chiang, nor communist Mao who never mention Nanking massacre, but AMERICANs.
¶ Who misinformed and spread the competition of killing 100 story? Answer: Bates.
Two Japanese soldiers, Toshiaki Mukai and Tsuyoshi Noda competing each other over which could kill 100 first? Sounds awful? Of course this is all about killing “enemy soldiers”, which was written in a newspaper as a brave story much like Lord of Rings.
(Below) The original Japanese NichiNichi newspaper article (1937/12/13). The occurrence is 12th, (Japanese entry in Nanking city is 13th), the location is Changzhou, it is not about Nanking battle.
The US newspaper, The Boston Globe 1937Dec14 properly reported as killing Chinese soldiers.
As shown below, the truth is they didn't even kill 100. Japanese media admitted that they made up the story, possibly to sell more.
The soldiers count enemy killing like the pilots paste the enemy embrames to count how many enemy planes they shot down.
The question is Who misinformed competition of killing enemy into murdering civilians and spread anti-Japanese propaganda?
It started from the book, “What War Means” (1938) below written by Australian journalist, Harold John Timperley. This is anti-Japanese propaganda book, which also was translated into Chinese. After WW2, Nanking Tribune court held by Chinese KMT, sentenced to death to these Japanese soldiers.
Did Timperley is the one who came up with this lie? He left Nanking on September before a battle in December.
The letter below from Bates on 14th March in 1938 to Timperley. The letter was written in implicit way but basically it is about Bates using Timperley to spread anti-Japanese propaganda to the world. Also Bates saying “40K burial record by Red Swastika is unarmed” is groundless or misleading. The truth is only 0.3 percent of 40K bodies is female/children, and the rest is possibly Chinese ”soldiers" (See Burial Record ). But the similar pathage appears in Timperley's book.
Interesting to see the letter from Bates (1938/4/14) showing his appreciation to Japanese who provided the copies of NichiNichi newspaper. He had the access to read them.
Even though Timperley wrote the book telling the world the damage and massacre of Nanking when he was not even there, he didn't come back to Nanking but instead he fled to Chiang kai-shek.
Overall, this is the collaborating the anti-Japanese propaganda work by Bates and Timperley for Chiang Kai-shek.
¶ Why didn't the US media criticize Chiang kai-shek for Yellow River Flood?
6 months after Nanking battle, on June in 1938, Chiang kai-shek bombed a dyke of Yellow River to cause a flood to attack Japanese military, but which ended up with killing up to a million of Chinese people for drowning and starvation (See Yellow River Flood for the detail). But US media NEVER criticized Chiang but blamed Japan, calling a necessary sacrifice, and showing Chiang's wife's sequel of posts like US media doesn't care much about Chinese victims while Japanese soldiers saved them and Japanese media criticized Chiang as a “the eternal enemy of mankind”.
(Below) The ironic layout of newspaper page showing the US media hypocrisy. NewYork times let Soong meiling talk about the future of China when her husband was killing a million of Chinese ordinary people with Yellow River Flood.
(Below) Spanish newspaper El Diario vasco 19th June in 1938 criticized the US hypocrisy for not blaming Chiang Kai-shek for Yellow River Flood.
The photo below is a collection of multiple Japanese newspaper articles talking about Yellow River flood and how Japanese military rescuing locals, and condemning Chiang kai-shek as an eternal enemy of mankind,人類永遠の敵, 蒋.
¶ Second Nanking Propaganda Tokyo Trial (1945-)
After WW2, the US brought up Nanking battle to demonize Japan and justify atomic bombs, even though it had nothing to do with the US and 4 years previous event(1937) from Pearl harbor(1941). There were two war winner trials related to Nanking. At Far Eastern Military Tribunal run by the US, the death count significantly soared up to 200K to 300K (matched to Hiroshima/Nagasaki atomic bomb victims, 210K) with the "non original" burial record submitted to the court by Republic Of China (See Burial Record).
Japanese leader at Nanking battle, Iwane Matstui (松井 石根), who has nothing to do with Pacific War(a battle against the US), was brought to the court, sentenced to death, and executed by the US to demonize Japan, to make a good reason to fight and, to justify atomic bombs.
Other trial related to Nanking is Nanking Military Tribune run by Republic of China, where Japanese such as Hisao Tani(谷 寿夫), Tsuyoshi Noda(野田 毅), and Toshiaki Mukai(向井 敏明) were sentenced to death and were executed.
Of course, neither of these war winner courts accused US President Truman for atomic bombs killing 200K people, the US B29 air raid on an Hankou in China in 1943 killing 40K Chinese as Chiang wrote in his diary or Chiang kai-shek for Yellow River Flood killing up to 1 million people.
Although US pastors had avoided directly spreading Anti-Japanese propaganda as opposed to US journalists did explicitly, once Japanese military was gone after a war and when they were summoned, they came forward and made testimonies against Japan.
One of which was, of course, Bates, one of those playing a major role to create Nanking massacre for KMT.
He himself never said he saw Japanese killing civilians in person, but made a variety of testimonies about Nanking massacre.
Bates wrote the article about Nanking massacre
¶ Killing captured Chinese KMT soldiers by Japanese soldiers is justified
On the debate of Nanking massacre, it is usually the case, once anti-Japanese activists realize there was no such massacre against civilians, they started to blame Japanese for executing captured Chinese soldiers. But this is justified with following reasons .
- The act of throwing away military uniforms, wearing civilian clothing and hiding in Safety Zone is not considered to be POW.
Because of Chiang kai-shek 's irresponsibility, approximately 5000 remaining Chinese soldiers escaped to Safety Zone. But Safety Zone is not meant to be a hideout for soldiers but only to protect civilians or cure the injured. These plain- clothes soldiers throwing away their uniforms actually stashed their weapons in a least likely places such as foreign embassies or schools as already mentioned above. This disqualifies them to be treated as POW, but rather “a tact of a battle” to wait for a right moment to attack Japanese whenever the situation changed. If they wanted to surrender, they should come forward and give away their weapons to Japanese directly.
2. It was December which was still in the middle of battle with air raid and a risk of Chinese taking back Nanking.
All execution of Chinese soldiers were on December 1937, and no one knew when the battle would end since Chinese leaders ran away. As shown below Japanese newspapers, John Rabe's diary, Chinese KMT was said to come and take Nanking back, and there were several air raid by Chinese KMT(Soviet pilots) over Nanking on Jan 1938. Japanese soldier said it is only after February that Nanking city was settled down.
3. Chinese KMT soldiers had been killing 2000 civilians, they are not soldiers but organized murderers.
But above all, the root of problem of Nanking battle is not Japanese but Chinese top leaders, Chiang Kai-shek and Tang who told their soldiers to fight till a last man and ordered barrier troops to shoot those escaping while they cowardly and irresponsibly escaped themselves. As a result, the barrier troops killed not only other soldiers but civilians, and the trapped soldiers escaped to Safety Zone, and Japanese had to clean up their mess for the safety of a city.
¶ How CCP took over Nanking propaganda since 80's and started to use as a weapon
Did you know Mao never mentioned Nanking massacre, and Nanking massacre museum was built only in 1980, and before that there used to be a different monument, built by Mao saying “”
Background:
The US medias supported Chiang kai-shek and Soong Mei-ling since the battle of Shanghai and Nanking against Japan, and Franklin Roosevelt demanded Japan to support Chiang and deny Wang Jingwei as a condition to release an embargo, which left Japanese with no choice but the attack the US, Pearl Harbor.
Meanwhile, a communist Mao never fought against Japan directly, but he waited for a right moment. After WW2, the US destroyed Japan, and Mao defeated Chiang kai-shek who escaped to Taiwan. The US changed its policy in Asia and recognized Mao People Republic Of China and terminated its relation with Republic of China.
Mao never mentioned Nanking massacre by Japanese, and he was even thankful for Japan for attacking his enemy Chiang kai-shek.