File No. 763.72/7377
The Minister in China ( Reinsch) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 22.]
Sir: I have the honor to enclose a copy of the note addressed by the Legation to the Foreign Office on August 141 upon the occasion of the declaration of war between China and Germany in accordance with your telegraphic authorization. A copy of the text of the assurances in French, in the version contained in the notes as handed in by those Allied ministers who make use of the French language, is here inserted.
Mon Gouvernement est en l’occurrence heureux de donner au Gouvernement Chinois l’assurance de sa solidarité, de son amitié, et de son appui. Il fera tout ce qui depéndra de lui pour que la. Chine beneficie dans ses rapports internationaux de la situation et des égards dus à un grand pays.2
The Chinese Government had suggested the following form:
Mon Gouvernement est très désireux d’accorder a la Chine tout son concours afin de lui faire obtenir la jouissance des avantages résultant de l’égalité (entre puissances) dans les rapports internationaux.
As it, however, seemed that the use of the term “equality among the powers” might be held to involve admissions contrary to the continuance of the régime of extraterritoriality, it was decided to substitute the version actually adopted.
As previously reported to the Department I had repeatedly made efforts to effect an agreement for a declaration favorable to the maintenance of the sovereign rights of China, beginning with my conversation with the Japanese Minister reported in my despatch No. 1335 of November 1, 1916 [January 10, 19173]. When China was considering the entry into the war I suggested the desirability of the making of such a declaration and hinted to the Chinese officials concerned that they might be successful in obtaining upon this occasion a statement which would fortify the sovereign rights of China. The colleagues with whom I incidentally took up the matter were not unfavorable or opposed to the idea. It would undoubtedly have been possible for the Chinese Government to secure a more specific declaration than the one actually made, but as often happens instead of taking advantage of the position which the readiness to declare war gave [Page 458] them, and boldly proposing such a declaration as a necessary condition, they discussed the matter too long until the substance of the declaration had been worn down to the rather empty formula finally adopted. Nevertheless the use of the phrase “the regards due to a great country” was extremely flattering to Chinese amour propre and the note was received as an assurance of cooperation in maintaining Chinese sovereignty.
I have [etc.]
- Not printed; see the Minister’s telegram of Aug. 12, 6 p.m., and the Secretary’s answer of Aug. 14, 4 p.m., ante, pp. 455, 456.↩
- For English text see ante, p. 455.↩
- Ante, p. 404; while the despatch of Jan. 10, 1917, bears the despatch number referred to by the Minister, it contains no specific mention of a conversation with the Japanese Minister. The Department’s files contain no despatches from the Minister on this subject during November, 1916.↩