893.102 Kulangsu/161: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Consul at Amoy (MacVitty)
Washington, June 7, 1939—7
p.m.
17. Your 44, June 3, 9 a.m.
- 1.
- The Department appreciates the difficulties of the situation at Amoy and is confident that you are keeping in mind the Department’s 13, May 18, 5 p.m., and Department’s 15, May 20, 3 p.m., last sentence.
- 2.
- If there are any phases of the situation or matters of principle or detail in connection with the negotiations with the Japanese authorities concerning which you may consider that the Department’s advice or comments would be helpful, it is desired that you refer such questions to the Department. (See Department’s telegraphic instruction of identic date to the Embassy at Tokyo.8) With a view to easing the situation and by way of provisional comment in general terms at this time, the Department is of the opinion that the Japanese desiderata to which the Municipal Council might reasonably give favorable consideration include the following: (a) the issuance of a statement by the Municipal Council to the effect that every effort within the Council’s power will be exerted to maintain peace and order in the Settlement and prevent the Settlement from becoming a center for subversive elements of any kind, including anti-Japanese elements, such statement to be implemented by specific action on the part of the Settlement police against disturbers of and plotters against peace and order; (b) the appointment of a Japanese Inspector of Police in place of the Japanese sub-Inspector; and, possibly, (c) the working out by the Consular Body and the Municipal Council of some expedient modus operandi which would meet Japanese desires for Chinese representation on the Municipal Council. In this latter connection, however, the Department is not in a position to make a positive suggestion or offer specific comment until it receives information from you in regard to the manner in which Chinese vacancies on the Council were filled in recent years prior to the current Sino-Japanese hostilities and, if any such vacancies have been filled since the hostilities, the manner in which this was accomplished. Please report on this point.
Shanghai please repeat to Tokyo. Repeated to Chungking, Peiping and Shanghai.
Welles
- Infra.↩