The Nanking Safety Zone Summary and Analysis

Chang notes that although the Rape of Nanking is filled with horror, it was this horror that allowed some individuals to shine. The International Committee was made up of a small band of American and Europeans in Nanking, and were responsible for the creation of the Nanking Safety Zone. The idea began with Presbyterian missionary W. Plummer Mills, and was set up to the west of the center of Nanking. The point of the zone was to offer protection from the Japanese for non-combatants, as was allowed by war time law. While the Japanese refused initially to honor the zone, they eventually at least recognized it, although the zone did not stop invasions of Japanese troops. As the original camp filled quickly with those who had lost their homes, new camps were added. The twenty-two...