711.933/187
Memorandum by the Assistant Secretary of State (Johnson) of a Conversation With the British Chargé (Campbell)
Mr. Campbell of the British Embassy came in to see me and read to me from the attached document17 setting forth the British point of view in regard to what might be done toward meeting the Chinese on the subject of extraterritoriality. Mr. Campbell stated that his Government was very anxious to find some common ground upon which we could work jointly in this matter and that it preferred that the negotiations take place in Nanking rather than in London for the British Government. I told Mr. Campbell that we had not [Page 625] reached any decision in the matter, that we were interested in the British point of view, and that personally I was attracted by the view set forth, namely, that extraterritoriality be extinguished by categories of cases rather than by a process involving geographic areas. I said that so far as negotiations were concerned we had in our last note told the Chinese we were prepared to discuss the matter with them at their convenience and that we might find it difficult to refuse to discuss the matter here in Washington if the Chinese insisted; that in any case we should be glad to find some program upon which we could jointly agree.
- Not printed.↩