ABSTRACT
In July of the following year, there was a clash between Chinese and Japanese troops at the Marco Polo bridge near Peking, and just over a week after the ‘incident’ civilians began to leave Shanghai. On the 4th of August the Japanese Government ordered the evacuation of all Japanese living in the Yangtze Valley and along the China Coast, and the Japanese Third Fleet began to assemble at Shanghai. Reinforcements were sent ashore to strengthen
the Japanese naval landing party, which under the arrange ments made by the foreign powers for the joint defence of the International Settlement manned the defence peri meter in the Hongkew and Yangtzepo districts. On the 11th of August Great Britain, the United States, France, Germany and Italy requested the Chinese and Japanese Governments to keep Shanghai free from hostilities, but two mornings later the Chinese troops attacked the Japanese sailors on the perimeter of the International Settlement. The Chinese undoubtedly hoped by pre cipitating hostilities in the Shanghai area to involve the other foreign powers and induce them to compel the Japanese to withdraw from the Settlement, even if it meant war.
