861.77 Chinese Eastern/289: Telegram
The Minister in China (MacMurray) to the Secretary of State
782. Legation’s 776, August 31, 5 p.m.75 Following from Leader, Peiping, September 1:
“Last message from Moscow under yesterday’s date said that Monsieur Litvinoff, Acting People’s Commissar of Foreign Affairs of the U. S. S. R., had advised the German Ambassador at Moscow, Herr von Dirksen, that his Government was ready to accept China’s negotiation for the signing of a joint declaration settling the dispute but desired to put forward certain amendments to the draft which the Chinese Government has submitted.
These amendments were incorporated in a proposed new draft declaration which Monsieur Litvinoff handed to Herr von Dirksen for transmission to the Chinese Government and which reads as follows: [Here follows text of Russian draft printed on page 310.]”
Following from Renter, Nanking, August 31st:
“Interviewed by Reuter this morning, a Foreign Office spokesman declared that Nanking had not received a statement from the Chinese Minister in Berlin regarding the alleged settlement of the Chinese Eastern Railway issue, reported in messages from Moscow.
However, the spokesman admitted that negotiations in Berlin were proceeding satisfactorily.”