Mr. Buck to Mr.
Hay.
Legation of the United States,
Tokyo, Japan, October 16, 1900.
Sir: I have the honor to inclose herewith
copies of Japan’s answers to the last proposals of France and
Germany respecting the course to be pursued by the powers in China,
they having now been unofficially communicated to me.
Without instructions to obtain and telegraph these answers I have not
felt authorized to incur the expense in doing so.
I have the honor to be, etc.,
[Inclosure 1.]
The Government of His Majesty the Emperor have taken into careful
consideration the programme elaborated by the Government of
France in view of the contemplated negotiations with China. They
cordially share the sentiments which inspired the project, and
they unite with the Government of the Republic in the conviction
that collective action on the part of the powers offers the best
guaranty of a successful issue to those negotiations.
Accordingly, the Imperial Government are happy to be able at once
to give their approval, generally speaking, of the proposals
themselves. At the same time they are fully persuaded that they
will most effectually contribute to that common understanding
and accord among the powers, which is so desirable, if they
frankly invite attention to those points which, in their
opinion, call for reexamination.
The Imperial Government fear that some difficulty would be
experienced in completely reconciling the permanent interdiction
of the importation of arms (if such interdiction is
contemplated) with the treaty obligations resting on China of
protecting the lives and property of foreigners, not to mention
the obvious duty devolving on her of restoring and maintaining
peace, order, and good government. Such a prohibition, if it did
nothing more, might, at least, furnish China an excuse for
failure to fulfill those obligations and that duty.
Finally, while the Imperial Government fully recognizes the
necessity of giving adequate protection to the several legations
in Pekin, they are, nevertheless, apprehensive that an attempt
to organize a body of troops composed of soldiers of different
nationalities, speaking different languages, would, from a
practical point of view, prove very difficult of realization.
Consequently they are of opinion that the difficulty would be
solved by the establishment of separate legation guards in such
strength as might be agreed upon by the powers.
[Page 367]
[Inclosure 2.]
With reference to the proposal of the Imperial German Government,
which is contained in the telegram sent from Berlin on October
1, 1900, a copy of which was handed by the Imperial German
charge d’affaires to His Imperial Japanese Majesty’s minister
for foreign affairs, the Imperial Japanese Government are
informed by their minister in Pekin that the foreign
representatives there have held a meeting, at which categorical
answers were made to the three questions which the Imperial
German Government suggested should be presented to them for
examination.
Those answers are of course already known to the Imperial German
Government, and it therefore only remains for the Imperial
Government of Japan to assure that of Germany that the action of
the foreign ministers in holding the conference and in making
the answers which they did, has the cordial support and approval
of the Imperial Japanese Government, and they venture to hope
that the Imperial Government of Germany will be pleased to
accept that assurance as a full and satisfactory response to the
proposal elaborated by them.
The Imperial Japanese Government take the liberty to add the
suggestion that the sphere of usefulness of the foreign
representatives in Pekin would be greatly enlarged if all the
questions which are to serve as the bases of negotiations with
China were to be presented to them for collective examination.
Entertaining that view, the Imperial Japanese Government think
the course suggested by the Imperial German Government is a step
in the right direction, and they hope that that method may be
given a wider application in the solution of the difficulties in
China.
