793.94/5040: Telegram
The Minister in China (Johnson) to the Acting Secretary of State
[Received April 13—6:20 a.m.]
At a meeting today British Minister and I, Italian Chargé d’Affaires and representative of French Minister, discussed necessity of retaining large forces at Shanghai. British Minister informed me that he was informing his commander in chief that he saw no objection from a political point of view to reducing British forces here by one battalion. British Minister stated that he was making this statement in reply to an inquiry from the admiral. I understood that British forces will probably be reduced by this number shortly.
I have informed Admiral Taylor of the above.