500.A4d/117: Telegram
The Minister in China (MacMurray) to the Secretary of State
[Paraphrase]
Peking, January 27,
1926—noon.
[Received 2:20 p.m.]
[Received 2:20 p.m.]
50. Your telegram 29, January 25, 4 p.m.
- 1.
- I apprehend, inasmuch as it appears from your paragraph 2 that a note has now been addressed to you by the Chinese on matters corollary to those dealt with in their note already addressed to me,1 which I reported in my 38, January 21, 11 a.m.,2 that the Chinese seek to develop points of difference between your position and mine, with the intention of making it appear that I colored or distorted your views in my presentation of the matter. I would urge, in order to avoid any appearance of discrepancy such as that which in this and in future cases could be exploited to discredit any representations I might need to make, that you reply to the Chinese Minister in a single note regarding both the invitation to Germany—treated by the memorandum from the Foreign Office which my telegram 27 of January 15, 9 p.m.,2 and my telegram 38 of January 21, 11 a.m., reported—and the invitations to other nations—the point treated by the note from the Chinese Minister to which your telegram 29 of January 25, 4 p.m., referred. If you should adopt this suggestion I will not reply to the memorandum from the Foreign Office, other than to acknowledge it and to enclose a copy of your note to the Chinese Minister. I shall wait for your approval.
- 2.
- Concerning the suggestion in paragraph 1 of your telegram 29, that a statement of the tenor of my concluding sentence in my 43 of [Page 1010] January 23, 11 a.m., might well be avoided, it is my carefully considered judgment that such a statement would tend powerfully to avert any appeal on this subject to nationalistic sentiment. While publication of the fact of German adherence has been made here, it has not led to any public comment whatsoever, and unless Wang himself makes a popular issue of it, it may be expected not to cause comment. I feel strongly that Wang fully sees the sophistry of his position and that by this discussion he is consciously making a test of how far he can presume upon our tolerance. He has given me to understand somewhat naively that, if he is persuaded that we remain firm in our attitude, he will be prepared to make the best he can of it. Therefore I venture to express very earnest hope that you will make use of language such as I suggested in my telegram 43 of January 23, 11 a.m., in any note to the Chinese Minister on this question.
- 3.
- Concerning your 29, penultimate sentence, may I suggest that the construction is borne out by Chinese reference to the Chinese-Bolivian treaty that Article 8 of the Nine-Power Treaty contemplated adherence of the nations having treaty relations with China when the Treaty on Principles was signed and that at that time Mexico and Peru were parties to treaties with China?
MacMurray