711.933/106
Memorandum by the Secretary of State
The Chinese Minister called on me today and said he was disappointed with our extraterritoriality note. I replied that I was sorry for this but did not think he had any reason to be disappointed as we had made a constructive suggestion at the end relating to negotiations and a gradual termination of it. I explained to him the importance which the American people felt towards judicial protection and the anxiety of our Government not to have any set-back in the progress of giving up the consular courts. I pointed out that if there was a question of giving up any territorial rights it would be much more simple, but we had none, and the matter of the protection of American interests by proper judicial process is much more delicate and important. He asked me whether I was prepared to go on with discussions of these steps for gradually giving them up and called my attention to the appointment by China last year of himself as a special envoy to discuss this point. I told him frankly that I had not heard of that but I would be very glad to take it up with him.