日军占领南京后,严格限制第三国人士出入以掩盖大屠杀暴行。但在西方列强的外交压力下,日军不得已准许英、美、德等国外交人员返回南京。西方外交人员在南京的活动,实际起到了帮助中国难民,制约日军暴行的作用。官方代表的身份,使得西方外交人员拥有普通侨民所不具备的制约日军的能力,但也使得他们往往将本国利益置于人道和正义之上。 After the Japanese army occupied Nanjing, they strictly restricted the access of third countries to cover up the atrocities of the massacre. However, with the diplomatic pressure exerted by the Western powers, the Japanese army had no alternative but to allow diplomatic personnel from Britain, the United States and Germany to return to Nanjing. The activities of western diplomats in Nanjing have actually played a role in helping the Chinese refugees and restricting the atrocities committed by the Japanese army. The status of official representatives has given Western diplomats the ability to restrain the Japanese army that ordinary diasporas do not have, but they also often place their national interests above humanitarian and justice.