893.00/10096: Telegram
The Minister in China (MacMurray) to the Secretary of State
477. Referring to my telegram 442, June 9, 7 p.m., paragraph two, B.
1. The following reply to the second telegram of June 9th [by the Senior Minister]80:
“Your Excellency’s telegram of June 10th [9th?] on the subject of General Pao’s troops which was addressed to Mr. Tan Yen-kai, chairman of the Nationalist Government and transmitted to this Ministry by the American consul general at Shanghai has been noted. To whose wireless message of June 9th a reply was sent by this Ministry on the 10th stating that ‘We are deeply concerned in your report on the sudden return of General Pao’s iorce to the eastern suburb of Peking after they had already effected their peaceful withdrawal from that city.’ In reply to your present telegram this Ministry with a view to relieving your anxiety has the honor to inform you that the Nationalist Government have telegraphed to the commanders at the front instructing them to investigate the [Page 242] situation; and that proper measures will be taken. (Signed) Nationalist Ministry of Foreign Affairs, June 13th.”
The delivery of the message through the Commissioner for Foreign Affairs to the senior consul at Shanghai was accompanied with a request from the Ministry that the note should not be released to the press for the time being.
2. Senior Minister is today telegraphing as follows to Dr. Wang, Minister for Foreign Affairs:
“The dean of the diplomatic body and his colleagues acknowledge with thanks the receipt of the telegram of June 13th in which the Nationalist Ministry of Foreign Affairs states in reply to the second telegram from the diplomatic body of June 9th, that it has instructed the commanders at the front to investigate the matter of the violation of the safe conduct of General Pao’s brigade and gives the assurance that the proper measures will be taken. The dean and his colleagues have now received information that General Han has left Nanyuan for Kuan with General Pao’s men and arms. They regret this further apparent indication that the instructions of this Nationalist Government have been ignored and that the assurance given by that Government for the safe conduct of General Pao and his men continued to remain unfulfilled. They can only hope that the measures promised by your latest telegram will speedily result in action fully vindicating the faith of the Nationalist Government.
The diplomatic body have taken note of the request made through the Commissioner of Foreign Affairs at Shanghai that the Government’s telegram of June 13th shall not be released to the press but they are reluctantly impelled to state that the course of events may yet compel them to hand the full correspondence to the press in order that world-wide opinion may be put in possession of all facts of the case.”