893.00/12971
The Chargé in China (Gauss) to the Secretary of State
[Received February 25.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to the Legation’s telegram No. 21 of January 16, 10 a.m., in which there was quoted a telegraphic instruction sent by the Legation to the Counsellor of Legation at Nanking, directing that he deliver a memorandum to the Foreign Office regarding the menace to the safety of American citizens resulting from the movements and activities of Communist-bandits in and around Szechwan Province. A copy of the memorandum sent by Mr. Peck to the Foreign Office, dated January 16, 1935, was forwarded to the Legation with his despatch No. 567 of January 16, 1935. Copies of this despatch79 were sent by him directly to the Department.
There is now enclosed for the completion of the Department’s records a copy of a memorandum dated January 26, 1935, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,79 in reply to the Legation’s memorandum above-mentioned. There is quoted in this reply a telegram from Chairman Liu of the Szechwan Provincial Government, in which he stated that conditions were peaceful in Szechwan and that heavy forces had been stationed along the Szechwan-Kweichow border to prevent the entry of the Communists.
Respectfully yours,