893.00/5603: Telegram
The Chargé in China (Bell) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 9—4:05 p.m.]
381. My 354, September 17, 5 p.m. About September 17th five senior foreign naval officers at Shanghai informed Admiral Tu of Government forces that in order to [insure?] neutrality of Whangpoo they would not permit any vessel of his fleet to enter and simultaneously notified Admiral Lin of Chekiang forces that his vessels might not fire guns in Whangpoo and that if they left the river they could not return. On September 19th I received report from Admiral McVay that Tu had undertaken not to enter Whangpoo provided restrictions against Lin were maintained. Message further stated Lin had previously agreed not to fire guns in the river. Lin’s vessels left Whangpoo September 21st as reported in my telegram 362, September 25, 3 p.m.,10 and went over to the Government forces.
October 1st Tu asked senior naval officers if his ships might enter Whangpoo and was informed not until end of hostilities. Tu thereupon came to Peking. October 6th the Chinese Minister for Foreign Affairs through representative privately informed British Minister and me that in view of changed circumstances and absence of hostile vessels in Whangpoo Admiral Tu desired to be relieved of undertaking described above and wished to enter river and take steps against arsenal and powder factory. Koo considered that moral effect of vessels’ presence in rear of Chekiang forces would induce surrender and save much useless bloodshed without fighting by vessels themselves. I consulted with the British Minister and we concurred that passage of Tu’s ships up Whangpoo or any other settlements to attack the arsenal would certainly be resisted by Chekiang forces and that this would incur all the dangers to shipping and settlements we originally contemplated at the time of our representation to Koo August 30th. Our respective consular and naval authorities at Shanghai when consulted by telegraph concurred in this view. October 8, 1 p.m., the British Minister and I sent word to the Chinese Minister for Foreign Affairs that we were unable to consent to Lu’s [Tu’s] vessel[s] entering Whangpoo as requested.
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