John G. Magee

There have been a lot of graphic photos and films of the massacre during the invasion of Nanking in December 13, 1937. John G. Magee is cinematographer who made 12 films about the atrocities of Nanjing. John saved many lives by setting up a hospital for the refugees of China. He was also appointed to chairman of the Nanking Branch of the International Red Cross and a member of the International Committee for the Nanking Safety Zone. All of the films he filmed were sent to the U.S so that the U.S could view the atrocities of the Nanking Massacre. During the time of “The Rape of Nanking”, John G Magee wrote a lot of letters to his wife. He was also a witness during the Tokyo War Crimes Trial with all of his works documented by Jiro Takidani about the massacre. In the summer of 1938, Magee returned to the U.S, and gave speeches about the Nanking Massacre.

The first paragraph of the letter John wrote to J.C Mckim stating that:

Dear Mr. McKim:
It has been brought to my attention that you have been writing letters to the Times saying that the stories of Japanese atrocities in Nanking were false. Perhaps by this time you will have learned that they were too true. If I had not seen with my own eyes the things that I have seen I could not have believed that such things could have happened in the modern world. It reminded one of an ancient Assyrian rape. We were not expecting such horrors and it was a terrible shock to us all when they began to happen.

Reference:

Kaiyuan, Zhang. Eyewitnesses to Massacre. New York: Yale Divinity School Library, 2001.

"The Establishment of the Nanjing International Safety Zone." Nanjing 1937: The Memorial Hall of the victims in Nanking Massacre by Japanese Invader2005.Shuiximen Street Nanjing Chinese. 21 Jul 2007
<http://www.nj1937.org/english/massacre_2.asp>.