393.1123 Lincheng/165a: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in China (Schurman)
121. Referring to your telegrams 226 June 15, 231 June 20, and supplementing the Department’s 118 June 21, 6 p.m.
The Department would not be prepared to recommend any demonstration in force for the purpose of obtaining the acquiescence of the Chinese Government in any program which may be agreed upon. The temporary transfer to China of the third battalion of the 15th infantry, as recommended in your 222 June 14th is under consideration.
[Paraphrase.] There is only one other suggestion which commends itself favorably to the Department for inclusion in the program being formulated by the diplomatic corps. That is the possibility of stationing at Tsinan a small international force, perhaps not more than 100 men from each national force now garrisoned at Tientsin. This would be specifically a penalty for the outrage at Lincheng and also serve as a warning to the officials of Shantung and of other provinces. Presumably such a plan would have a definite time limit, say one year, at the termination of which period the force would be withdrawn unless their further retention should be made necessary by conditions then existing. In adopting this plan the Powers would disclaim all responsibility for protecting the [Page 667] railway, the Chinese Government being held fully responsible for that. The Department requests your views regarding this suggestion. It should, however, be kept strictly confidential and you are not to refer to it in talking with any of your colleagues. A plan like that outlined above could obviously not be helpfully proposed by the American Government without the Japanese concurrence in view of all the circumstances connected with the retrocession by Japan of all its rights and claims in Shantung. The Department is contemplating sounding out the Japanese Embassy regarding this suggestion unless you see objections thereto. [End paraphrase.]
The Department approves of the demands for penalties specified in your telegram No. 231 June 20th and of the general proposal with respect to the investigation of banditry in the provinces and the penalties provided for delinquent officials as set forth in your telegram No. 226 of June 15th; but it desires to be informed more precisely as to the nature of the International Commission and whether it is the same as the military commission headed by General Connor.
With regard to the establishment of a railway police force, the Department has received from the British Embassy a memorandum dated June 19th which, after referring to the necessity of effective guarantees for the safety of foreigners in China if their position is not to become impossible states
“His Majesty’s Minister at Peking has proposed the creation of a railway police force under foreign officers, together with increased foreign control over the railway revenues, in order to provide for the payment of the force.
This scheme appears to His Majesty’s Government to be the one most likely to produce useful results, but difficulty is to be anticipated in securing its acceptance by China unless the Powers present a united front in the matter.”
Although the above plan could not be considered separately or apart from other proposals which the Diplomatic Body may contemplate presenting to the Chinese Government, it nevertheless appeals to the Department as being intrinsically meritorious. Such a plan, however, could not be predicated upon other than a purely international basis whose reason and justification would be the general security of foreigners and of their rights of travel and of trade in China; it could not receive the support of this Government, if such a force should be designed and organized primarily for the protection of the financial interests of foreign bondholders or for the rehabilitation of British railway loans. It is suggested that the apprehension of such a purpose in the British proposal may account for the position taken by the Japanese Chargé as stated in your telegram.
[Page 668]It is desirable that you should report in considerable detail upon the nature of the proposals for such an organization and it is suggested that if the foreign personnel should be nationals of countries having but moderate interests in Chinese railways, fears of such an organization becoming mainly devoted to strengthening British financial interests might thus be allayed.
The Department also desires in further detail your views and recommendations as to the possible use of the present political crisis in obtaining the acquiescence of the Chinese Government in any program of demands, through withholding recognition of any new Government which may come into power in the near future. In this connection, it would be essential to ascertain the readiness of the other Powers to join in such action and it would be important to consider any possible complication likely to arise through the discontinuance of releases of the salt and customs surplus.
You will be instructed separately with regard to the claims for damages in behalf of the Lincheng captives.