793.003/444c: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in China (Johnson)
375. 1. Referring to the Department’s instruction No. 137 of June 9, 1930, transmitting a revised draft of proposals, dated June 4, 1930, on extraterritorial jurisdiction, please note the following changes in the draft of these proposals as handed to the Chinese Minister in Washington on October 28, 1930.
2. The last paragraph of Article 10 relating to commercial vessels should read as follows:
[Here follows text printed on page 478.]
3. Article 16 of the Oct. 28 draft reads:
“In the present agreement the expression ‘nationals of the United States’ shall be deemed to include citizens of the possessions of the United States of America.”
4. Article 16 of the draft of June 4 becomes Article 17 in the October 28 draft.
5. Each page of the draft has at the top the words “without commitment”.
6. You should be prepared to hand a copy of the October 28 draft to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Chinese Minister here has been informed that this will be done. You should also advise your British and Japanese colleagues of the changes in our draft as referred to above.
7. Copies of our October 28 draft are being handed in duplicate to the British Ambassador here and being sent to the American Ambassador in London.