861.77/1098: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Minister in China (Reinsch)
Repeat to Tokyo the present telegram together with your telegram 398, September 24, noon,37 forwarding message from Omsk with text of Soukine’s38 reply to Graves.39
From Harbin’s telegram of September 25, 11 a.m., which was repeated Peking, Tokyo and from subsequent message from Stevens it appears that the Chinese Government may be approached with a view to arranging the appointment of Semenoff as Director of the Chinese Eastern. Under the circumstances indicated in the Omsk message referred to above such action would effectually remove that railway from the control of Kolchak who continues to receive the support of all the Allies operating in Siberia. It would moreover be incompatible with the plan of joint inter-Allied operation of the Siberian and Chinese Eastern Railways which is postulated upon the maintenance of the legal and political status of those railways without modification of previous existing rights by whomsoever held.
It is desired that you take occasion to intimate to the Chinese authorities informally and unofficially that it would appear extremely injudicious for China to take any action which would favor the semi-independent Cossack leaders of eastern Siberia, as against Kolchak or which would initiate any alteration of the status of the Chinese Eastern Railway.