124.93/73: Telegram
The Chargé in Japan (Caffery) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 22—8:30 a.m.]
192. Department’s 126, July 18, 6 p.m. This morning I explained the situation to Baron Shidehara who said that he appreciated the Department’s attitude. He asked me if I thought that the powers who had already notified China of their decision in the premises would be disposed to say further to the Chinese authorities that they did not believe that the question of raising the rank of the diplomatic missions at Peking should be taken up so long as the present unsatisfactory conditions prevailing in China continued, and he asked me if I would transmit his informal suggestion to the Department. I replied that I could not answer his question but was disposed to transmit his question.
He said that the Chinese Chargé d’Affaires here had told him that the Chinese Government was very much disappointed with the reply of the other powers and was pressing him for the Japanese answer which had not yet been given. He said that he would now send him a written reply which Would refer to the opening paragraph of the original Chinese memorandum which had called attention to the recent decision for an exchange of Ambassadors between China and Soviet Russia; in this connection he would state that Japan could not allow her action in the premises to be influenced by that of Russia, that the Japanese Government was still studying the matter and would let China have a reply in due course.
However I am still of the opinion that the Japanese Government for reasons hitherto given has not yet changed its decision to send an Ambassador to China some time next year.