893.00/9402: Telegram
The Chargé in China (Mayer) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 8—10:15 a.m.]
862. [Paraphrase.] There follows in translation a note from Wang Yin-tai,21 which his secretary, Wei, handed to me September 6th with the request that it be transmitted to you with informal comment that this action of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was in large measure impelled by withdrawal of Japanese troops from Shantung [Page 142] and by its desire that the United States should not suffer invidious comparison. [End paraphrase.]
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs presents its compliments to the American Legation and has the honor to recall that in connection with the reinforcement of American forces in Tientsin a memorandum from the Legation was received on June 2nd22 and that the Ministry at once filed a protest.23 Subsequently the Ministry had the honor to receive the Legation’s memorandum of June 14th24 stating ‘the American Legation again has the honor to inform the Ministry of Foreign Office [Affairs] that these reinforcements have been despatched [to] Tientsin solely for the purpose of protecting American lives and property, and that such additional forces will be withdrawn as soon as it is demonstrated that their presence is no longer required’. The Ministry has the honor to observe that all of North China enjoys its customary tranquillity and that the Central Government has always to the utmost of its ability extended protection to foreign lives and property. There certainly exist no grounds for apprehension of the occurrence of unexpected danger in the region about Tientsin and there is really no necessity for reinforcements to troops there. Furthermore the Chinese people are extremely suspicious in this connection and with the passage of time it is feared that misunderstandings might arise.
The Ministry of Foreign Office has the honor to express the hope that the American Legation will, in accordance with the Ministry’s memorandum of June 7th, effect the withdrawal at an early date of the American reinforcements at Tientsin in order to maintain the friendly relations hitherto existing. The Ministry has also the honor to request an early reply and will be most grateful for the Legation’s consideration.”
- 2.
- I reminded Wei of treaty status of American reinforcements in Tientsin and position of the Japanese troops in Shantung and remarked that we must be sole judge of what constituted sufficient force under the protocol of 1901; that as always we were most anxious to keep this force at minimum consonant with actual needs and to diminish present number at earliest moment practicable. Wei readily acknowledged correctness of this position; that Shantung and Tientsin status not really comparable. I said further that I assumed identic notes were being sent to other powers having reinforcements in Tientsin area. Wei seemed somewhat embarrassed but replied that so far as he was aware ours was only note of its kind. I expressed surprise at this, the more so in view of the repeated expressions by members of the Ministry of Foreign Office and other officials that American reinforcements had created no apprehension or suspicion of ulterior motives.
- 3.
- Interview confirmed decided impression that there is no apprehension in minds of the Chinese of any class regarding presence of our forces in Tientsin. I believe note is principally for the purposes of record to show that Northern leaders are as exacting as other factions in respect of alleged infringement of sovereignty and the like unless, as may quite possibly be the case, the Chinese were inspired from outside.
- 4.
- With Minister MacMurray in Washington I shall not volunteer any detailed suggestion in regard to reply to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The political military situation here is still very obscure, giving no ground for reasonable optimism. In the circumstances I do not consider a reduction of our forces in North China justified.