893.515/1053: Telegram

The Consul General at Shanghai (Gauss) to the Secretary of State

231. Finance Minister Kung yesterday informed press that time limit for exchanging silver for legal tender notes which expires on May 3 would probably be extended several months. I am informed by reliable source that there is developing in China an increasing tendency to surrender silver and that since November 3 when managed currency was established 175,000,000 silver dollars exchanged for notes making the total of Government’s stocks of silver about 400,000,000 silver dollars.

Repeated to Peiping. Nanking by mail.

Gauss