611.9331/79: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in China (MacMurray)
252. Legation’s number 583, July 30, 5 p.m.13 and number 584, July 30, 11 p.m. It is regretted that you regarded it as necessary to send, without consulting me, the note quoted in the Legation’s [Page 485] 584. Although, of course, I had no intention of beginning negotiations immediately on other subjects, it is inevitable that we will have to do so in the near future and it was preferred by me, if the Chinese insisted on such negotiations, to discuss the reasons why it is not possible for us to sign such a treaty immediately. Serving upon them notice that we do not intend to go further is likely, I feel very strongly, to result in controversy and to counterbalance much of the good which may have been achieved by us in the original negotiations and will be quite embarrassing to us. It is not my plan to give your note to the press here.
- Not printed.↩