Lewis S.C. Smythe

Who is Lewis S.C. Smythe?

Lewis Strong Casey Smythe was an American Christian missionary to China who was present during the Nanking Massacre.

Smythe received his BA from Drake College in 1923 and his Ph.D. in Missions and Christian Theology from the Chicago Divinity School in 1928. He married Margaret Lillian Garrett in 1924. In 1928, the Smythes went to Nanking, sponsored by the United Christian Mission Society. Smythe served as Professor of Sociology at Nanking University until 1951.

He was in Nanking during the Battle of Nanking and its aftermath, the Nanking Massacre. He served as Secretary of the International Committee for the Nanking Safety Zone from December 14, 1937 to February 10, 1938. In that role, he and the Committee's chairman, John Rabe, recorded the atrocities committed by Japanese troops and made daily reports complaining to the Japanese embassy. Smythe reported that the Japanese embassy continually promised to do something about the atrocities but it was February 1938 before anything effective was done to restore order to the city.