893.00 Nanking/115: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in China (MacMurray)
194. Your telegram No. 488 of April 26, 6 p.m. On the morning of April 25 the Japanese Ambassador called upon me and left with me for my consideration a modified form of the draft note which you quoted in telegram 440, April 15, 7 p.m. Ambassador Matsudaira requested that I consider the draft he presented and give him my decision. I promised to do so. He called again yesterday and I told him that the draft even in this modified form was not acceptable to this Government. I pointed out that when applied to the reply made by Eugene Ch’en to the American note of April 11 the following sentences were not strictly accurate: “Not one of the demands made has been accepted unequivocally by the Nationalist authorities. Reservations have been attached to the acceptance of each.” I pointed out to the Ambassador that violation of the United States consulate at Nanking had been admitted by the so-called Nationalist Government and that it had offered reparations based on the fact that the consulate was on Chinese territory and was therefore entitled to protection. I told Ambassador Matsudaira that I did not consider this clause to be equivocal and that I could not say that Ch’en had attached any reservations to this statement. I told the Ambassador that Ch’en’s reply stated also that the so-called Nationalist authorities were prepared to make reparations for any damage done to our nationals where such damage had been inflicted by Nationalist troops and not by Northern soldiers or by the bombardment from American and British warships. I said that in my opinion this reservation was not unreasonable as we were making no claim for damage done to American property by bombardment from the foreign warships and we had presented no demand with respect to any injury inflicted by Northern troops. I also pointed out that the undertaking in Ch’en’s note with respect to a written undertaking against antiforeign agitation and for the protection of United States citizens appeared an unequivocal acceptance of the demand which we had presented. I told Matsudaira that it was quite true that as a whole Ch’en’s note was unsatisfactory but we could not say that the Nationalist Government had not accepted any of the demands without equivocation. I furthermore told the Ambassador that this Government found objectionable the statement in the revised draft which read, “The basic demands which the powers concerned are determined themselves to carry out.” This phrase appeared to contain a threat of sanctions even stronger than that in the first note. I told the Ambassador that it seemed to me unwise to [Page 216] present another note at this time weaker in its terms than the original note, as the effect upon the Chinese of such procedure would be bad, and that this Government would object to presenting a note worded in such a way as to commit the United States to applying sanctions or to cause embarrassment to this Government, should it not abide by such a commitment. I stated my belief that it would be much wiser for the interested powers to watch developments, refraining from action on the matter for the present.
I fail to understand statement in third paragraph of your telegram under reference to the effect that your four interested colleagues all have been authorized to sanctions in principle and that after the identic notes have been dispatched they will discuss the question of applying sanctions at Hankow should the answer not be satisfactory. Matsudaira told me that the Japanese Minister in China had not been authorized by his Government to agree to sanctions in principle nor to discuss the question of applying sanctions at Hankow should the answer not be satisfactory. Matsudaira said that the Japanese Government is opposed to applying sanctions. I have received such information from the Japanese Ambassador from the beginning. I trust that your influence with the Ministers of the other interested powers will be used against drastic action. The American Government is very anxious to give the powers the fullest cooperation possible, but it cannot join them at this time in presenting identic notes to Ch’en on this subject.