File No. 893.00/1103.
The Acting Secretary of State to the Ambassador of Great Britain.
Washington, February 28, 1912.
My Dear Mr. Ambassador: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note of the 24th instant, regarding the recent memorandum of the Japanese Government on the question of the formal recognition of a new government in China and wherein it is suggested [Page 70] that such recognition be conditioned upon the giving by the new government of certain guaranties and that the concert of the powers; should be continued in the consideration of this question. Besides stating that your Government agrees in principle to the suggestions of the Japanese Government, you request to be informed as to any reply this Government may make to the communication of the Japanese Government.
In reply I beg to state that in a memorandum handed to the Japanese ambassador yesterday this Government, besides welcoming the fresh affirmation by the Japanese Government of the principle of concerted action, agrees in principle to the application of that policy to the recognition of the republic of China in accordance with the accepted principles of international law, so long as no undue delay is entailed thereby. The Japanese Government was advised, moreover, that this Government would be glad to make more definite reply to the other questions raised when informed more explicitly as to the nature and terms of the proposed guaranties. The view was also expressed that the established obligations of China hold irrespective of the form of government and pass automatically in turn to the de facto provisional government and to such ultimate government as may merit formal recognition.
I am [etc.],