893.102S/2003: Telegram
The Consul at Shanghai (Butrick) to the Secretary of State
[Received 8:35 p.m.]
483. Terrorism in Shanghai. On May 20 the Senior Consul circulated a letter dated May 16 from the Chairman of the Shanghai Municipal Council83 containing the Council’s resolutions of May 15 as follows:
“That a letter be written to the Senior Consul drawing the attention of the consular body to the Council’s grave anxiety at the renewal in Shanghai of political arguments, crime, kidnapping and other forms of lawlessness, and urging the consular body to take all the steps within their power to secure the suppression of these organizations on the borders of the Settlement which in the Council’s opinion seriously hamper the municipal police in the prevention of crime, making particular reference to gambling and narcotic establishments and armed stronghold in the areas adjoining the Settlement.”
The Chairman reviewed the unsatisfactory situation and mentioned particularly “the armed organization which has its headquarters at 76 Jessfield Road.” He drew attention to the recent armed holdup at the customshouse resulting in the wounding of two Japanese, a crime which according to one of the assailants arrested was planned in a gambling house off Jessfield Road. Police examination of discarded pistols “indicate clearly that the robbers belong to the gang in the western area where the municipal police cannot freely conduct itself and where no full cooperation is afforded.”
The Senior Consul commenting as Italian Consul General stated that he could not “support any intervention by the consular body in this matter, seeing that the Shanghai Municipal Council and the Chinese de facto authorities have already (dated February 16th) reached an agreement to restore and maintain peace and order in the western district, without consulting the members of the consular body concerned or obtaining their approval.” The Japanese Consul General associated himself entirely with the Italian Consul General.
I replied on May 24 as follows:
“I have the honor to refer to the Consul’s circular 146–M–13, and other circulars on the same subject, and to state that I am happy to note the efforts put forth by you and our Japanese colleague in this matter. I take it that the statement of the Japanese Consul General, that ‘the most obvious course to cope with the abnormal situation still existing in the western area would be to bring about the speedy enforcement of the Fu-Franklin police agreement between the city government and the Shanghai Municipal Council,’ anticipates that the [Page 741] unsatisfactory conditions obtaining in certain sections of the western area, with their consequent ill effect within the Settlement proper, will cease to exist upon the implementation of the agreement mentioned. It is generally hoped that such will prove to be the case. However, irrespective of the implementation of that agreement, I feel that a heavy obligation rests upon the several responsible authorities to exert every effort to stamp out those elements disturbing the peace and order of the Settlement.
I must add that I think the Council acted properly in referring the matter to the consular body when the situation became critical, resulting in the wounding of two Japanese on the customs premises and the subsequent disturbance of the peace and order of the Settlement when the assailants opened fire on Shanghai municipal police who were acting in the performance of their bounden duties, especially as it has been established by the police that the guilty parties have connections with illegal armed forces operating from a base or bases on extra-Settlement roads at present without the effective police jurisdiction of the Council.”
My British colleague replied on May 25 somewhat along the same lines but expressed the view that it is “a matter for serious consideration whether the implementation of the agreement of February 16 is likely to prove effective in reestablishing orderly conditions unless steps have previously been taken to dissolve these [organizations?].”
There have been no subsequent developments.
Repeated to Chungking and Peiping. True reading by hand to Tokyo.
- W. J. Keswick, British partner of Jardine, Matheson and Co.↩