Salt Lake Telegram | 1937-08-20 | Page 5 | U. S. Officials in China to Map Augusta Action

Anti-Aircraft Shell Hits U. S. Vessel f .... . f A Vi ; ... . ,v.. ........ x v..J-.... xv.v.i;- v x -T"' - ; .. -. . k ' : ' - . .-(.' : . h V. S. S. AUGUSTA, STRUCK BY SHELL IN SHANGHAI FIGHTING " Screaming projectile brought death to flagship of Asiatic fleet , U. S. Officials in China To"Map"AugustaActipn WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 (AP) President Roosevelt said today that whatever action was deemed advisable in connection with the shelling of the cruiser Augusta off Shanghai would be determined by officials on the ground there. The president told a press conference con-ference he hsd received only fragmentary frag-mentary unofficial dispatches on the shelling. Asked what this would mean as far as any counter action was concerned, con-cerned, the president aaid auch things were almost bound to happen hap-pen in a situation such as that at Shanghai. Asked what he was going to do about it he said the people on the spot could tell more about that than officials in Washington. In response to other questions, ho said official Washington was talking about the advisability of invoking the neutrality act every day. Informed that the Japanese charge d'affaires had left Tientsin the preaident expressed doubt as to whether that meant diplomatic relations hsd formally been broken off. Also informed about a statement by the Council for Prevention of War favoring Immediate proclamation proclama-tion of neutrality, the president said, without derogation to that organisation, organi-sation, that government officials hsd more information than it bad. Naval attaches said they expected ex-pected Admiral Harry E. Yarnell, commander of the Asiatic fleet to protest sharply the exploaion of an antiaircraft shell on the cruiser Augusta. It was understood the protest probably would be made to both China and Japan. AS word of the shelling spread around Capitol hill, legislators manifested mani-fested considerable interest but were slow to comment on its possible pos-sible significance.