861.77/2579: Telegram
The President of the Technical Board (Stevens) to the Secretary of State
[Received 10:50 p.m.]
Your June 15, 4 p.m. Your request not understood. Are the American interests which you have in mind those immediately connected with the Technical Board or general commercial interests? Recently it has been suggested to me that the Technical Board will be asked by the Russo-Asiatic Bank to assume control of the railway’s finances. Should this be done I might possibly be able to compel the granting of conditions by which the powers which the Board has been asking would be given to it. Should the Russo-Asiatic Bank take this step it is very likely that the Chinese Government will have to follow its example. It will be necessary to float a loan in any case; the only reason for the present condition of the railway is management which has been reckless or worse. Taking everything into consideration I recommend that you delay action a little while as before long something must happen here. My personal wish to retire is known to you, but if a little delay might offer a chance it would be too bad to lose the work of more than three years. I wish a few days’ delay in any case to arrange certain matters before the other Powers are notified. Elimination United States board [sic] would naturally follow from withdrawal of the American representation.