393.1164 Tungchow/13: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Counselor of Embassy in China (Lockhart), at Peiping
289. Department’s 163, August 2, 4 p.m., and your 485, August 27, 6 p.m.,72 in regard to Tungchow mission damages.
On September 8 an officer of the Department handed the Counselor of the Japanese Embassy a statement of the damages suffered by the mission.
On September 25 the Counselor orally informed an officer of the Department that the Japanese military were making an investigation of the matter and were prepared to make a “consolation payment” and to effect a settlement on the spot with the head of the American mission. The Counselor was informed that we had presented this matter to him in response to an approach made by him to us; that we had not gone into the question of rights on the part of this Government or on the part of the American mission concerned; and that without endeavoring to pass on the question of those rights we would for the moment probably take no action other than to communicate to our Embassy at Peiping the information which he had just given us.
On September 28 the Counselor of the Japanese Embassy informed an officer of the Department by telephone of a final settlement on the spot between the Japanese military and the mission authorities.
Please make inquiries in regard to this matter and inform the Department by radio.
- Neither printed.↩