'This is the most disturbing thing I've ever seen in my career': Minnesota pawnshop owner believes he discovered mystery gruesome photos of 1937 massacre

Courtesy of Evan Kail

• Pawnshop owner discovered the graphic photos after agreeing to sell a photo album for a customer.
• Thousands of Chinese civilians were killed by Japanese soldiers during the 1937 Nanjing Massacre.
• Kail's call for help on TikTok garnered nearly 20 million views and an outpour of support.

Pawnshop owner Evan Kail stumbled across what he believes are authentic photos of the Nanjing (formerly Nanking) Massacre while searching through a photo album he was asked to sell for a client.

Kail, whose shop is in Minnesota, documented the discovery for his large TikTok following on Thursday, and the video quickly garnered millions of views and likes. 

A client had asked him to try to sell the book, which "had been in their family for years," he said. 

In the video, Kail shows less graphic photos from the album — which he believes belonged to a soldier stationed in Southeast Asia at the time — while explaining that the book then takes a gruesome turn.

"This is the most disturbing thing I've ever seen in my career, and I desperately need your guys' help," Kail, owner of St. Louis Park Gold & Silver, said, seeking experts to authenticate the find.

@pawn.man PLEASE HELP ME #nankingmassacre #historicalphotos #worldwar2 #pawnman #museumtreasure ♬ original sound - Pawn Master Kail

The Nanjing Massacre began in December 1937 during the Sino-Japanese War that preceded World War II and lasted for six weeks. The Japanese Imperial Army murdered and brutalized an estimated 40,000 to 300,000 Chinese civilians.  

"Somehow, that guy who took those photos was present for the Rape of Nanking," Kail said. "He took about 30 photographs that are unknown to history, that are worse than anything I've seen on the internet."

The album also features memorabilia from a Leslie Guy Allen Jr. — a US Navy sailor, the items suggest — who Kail believes is the man who took the photos.

There were memorabilia items included in the photo album, and Kail believes they're an indicator of who the photographer is.

Courtesy of Evan Kail

Kail took to Twitter to share photos from the album.

Courtesy of Evan Kail

Kail, who studied Japanese in college, says that many photos of the gruesome event were destroyed by the Japanese, and there are "very, very few photos" out there.

"I have no idea what (the photo album) is worth. It's probably very, very expensive," Kail said. "The simple fact is, a museum needs to take them."

In an update video on Friday, Kail let his 650,000 (and growing) followers know that he was trying to track down an expert in Minnesota to help determine the value of the photo album. His goal is for the content of the entire album to be preserved and shared with the world.

"I talked to the customer today, and we've agreed that a museum is the only one getting this," Kail says. "I don't care how rich you are."

He has spoken to the Chinese government about the book, but doesn't want to "start an international incident" or make the photos about politics.

Kail didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, but tweeted that the book had been moved offsite and isn't available for public viewing

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