Office of the Historian

793.94/11538: Telegram

The Consul General at Shanghai (Gauss) to the Secretary of State

Shanghai, December 8, 1937—3 p.m.
[Received 3:30 p.m.]

1112. Reference my 1105, December 7, 8 p.m.92

1.
At the meeting of the interested consular representatives this morning the Japanese Consul General stated in reference to the memorandum quoted in my 1086, December 4, 4 p.m. that when he learned of this document he had called on his military authorities and succeeded in having them say that the matter was settled. He added “We will not take any advantage of the incident which occurred that afternoon. We can treat it just as the Senior Consul has said, that is, just as if the conditions or demands were not presented at all.”
2.
I endeavored to obtain a more satisfactory statement to the effect that the Japanese military acquiesced in or agreed to the declaration that the conditions or demands might be considered as not having been presented at all, but could get nothing further than the [Page 780] statement of the Japanese Consul General that he would take the responsibility for what he had said.
3.
In the matter of the arrest of certain Chinese by Japanese gendarmes as reported in my 1098, December 6, 7 p.m., the Japanese Consul General stated that the Japanese gendarmes took action without consulting him, that there was some urgency as certain dangerous spies were reported to be plotting against the military authorities, and that he has been assured that this sort of thing will not occur again “so long as the municipal police will cooperate”.
4.
The Japanese Consul General agreed at the meeting to a rough draft of release to the press but he has since indicated after consulting his military authorities that he cannot agree to any press release.
5.
I do not regard the outcome of our efforts as entirely satisfactory but believe the Japanese Consul General is well disposed and that he has done all he can in the circumstances. The Japanese military of course will not publicly recede from any position they have taken.

Sent to the Department. Repeated to Tokyo.

Gauss
  1. Not printed.↩