File No. 4002/234–235.
Ambassador Riddle
to the Secretary of State.
American Embassy,
St.
Petersburg, September 4,
1909.
No. 535.]Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the
receipt of your unnumbered instruction of August 6 last, relative to the
municipal administration of Harbin, and inclosing copies of notes
exchanged between the Russian minister and the Wai-wu Pu and also of Mr.
Fletcher’s note to Prince Ching of June 23 last.
Herewith I inclose a copy of my note to the Russian foreign office in
accordance with your instructions.
As I have not seen the official text of the preliminary arrangement
signed on May 11 last, I thought I could not do better than adopt the
text of Mr. Fletcher’s note to the Chinese Government, making only a few
necessary alterations.
The acting minister for foreign affairs of Russia, in reply to my oral
representations made to him on the subject of restrictions upon the
transfer of the long-term leases at Harbin, said that he was not
familiar with the details of the question, but that he thought it was
better that all the treaty powers interested should give their views on
the subject of the various questions involved at Harbin, and that early
opportunity would be given for a complete discussion of the provisions
of the detailed scheme of administration which is to supplant the
preliminary arrangement.
I have, etc.,
[Inclosure.]
Ambassador Riddle to the acting minister
for foreign affairs.
American Embassy,
St.
Petersburg, August 17–30,
1909.
Excellency: Copies of the notes exchanged
on May 11 last between the Wai-wu Pu and the Russian minister to
China recognizing the full sovereignty of China over the land leased
to the Chinese Eastern Railway in the three eastern provinces and
pledging the two Governments to maintain therein all the rights and
privileges enjoyed by subjects of other powers under the treaties
between China and said powers were duly communicated to the
Government of the United States, as was
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also the text of the preliminary agreement
signed on the same date by the Wai-wu Pu, the Russian minister, and
a Russian representative of the Chinese Eastern Railway, outlining
the plan of organization of the international settlements to be
opened on the lands leased to the said railway.
The Government of the United States has instructed me to convey to
your excellency an expression of the gratification it feels in the
terms of the notes exchanged on May 11.
As regards, however, the preliminary arrangement signed on the same
date, inasmuch as numerous provisions of it appear to conflict with
the said treaty rights, the Government of the United States finds it
impossible to accept this preliminary arrangement as satisfactory or
to recognize it as in any way binding upon it or its citizens.
Since, however, Article XVII of the preliminary arrangement indicates
that it is to be very shortly replaced by detailed regulations for
the government of the municipalities to be created at the treaty
marts within the railway leased zone the Government of the United
States directs me to state that it fully expects that the practice
which has heretofore been uniformly observed in China with regard to
the elaboration of rules to govern international settlements at
treaty ports will be followed in the present case, and that the
United States will be given full opportunity to discuss with the
other parties interested the terms and conditions to govern the same
and to determine that all the aforesaid rights and privileges
guaranteed its citizens are duly and amply secured to them.
As the regulations for the proposed international settlements can
only become operative after their acceptance by all the treaty
powers, it appears to the Government of the United States that, in
the interest of a prompt and satisfactory settlement of the various
questions involved, it is eminently to the interest of all that the
full and complete discussion now asked for be accorded at the
earliest possible date, so that all unnecessary delay in putting
them into operation may be avoided.
I avail, etc.,
