793.94/5874: Telegram
The Minister in Switzerland (Wilson) to the Secretary of State
[Received February 13—5:28 p.m.]
105. Following is résumé of report Sweetser has given me in confidence of the meeting of the Committee of Nineteen this morning.
Drummond reported that he had carried out on Thursday88 afternoon the instructions given him by the Committee that morning to make verbal representations to Matsuoka regarding Jehol.
Drummond stated that the Committee felt that if military operations on any large scale took place this would completely frustrate any hope of conciliation. Matsuoka requested that the Committee bear in mind the special situation of Jehol. Manchukuo claims Jehol as part of its territory and the Governor of Jehol has fully associated himself with the Manchukuo. Similarly, Japan had a treaty with Manchukuo obligating her to help defend that state’s independence and integrity. The Chinese had many troops in Jehol and had [Page 175] recently moved in many more so that there were now between 100,000 and 150,000 there. The Manchukuo authorities felt that these troops constituted a danger to them and that they must take defensive action. Japan in turn was obligated to support this action. Of course, if China were to withdraw the troops the difficulty would cease to exist.
Drummond replied that if China withdrew her troops she would feel she was withdrawing troops from her own territory and indirectly be recognizing that Jehol did not belong to her. Matsuoka agreed that this was true but said that as these troops would eventually be driven out anyway they had better go peacefully. At the same time it seemed to him that Jehol was an entirely separate question and had nothing to do with the problem of conciliation. In the circumstances he was not able to give any assurances as to the future.
The Committee then read and approved page by page, subject to certain minor changes, the first three sections of the report to be adopted under paragraph 4. Tomorrow, Tuesday, it will finally approve the amendments suggested today which are more of drafting and of emphasis than of substance and will begin examination of the recommendations. It is hoped that the full report, including the recommendations, will have been completed by tomorrow noon or at the latest Wednesday and that the convocation of the Assembly can be immediately issued and the report sent to the printer and distributed in final form to all states by Thursday or Friday. This would allow time for study of the report before the Assembly meets either Saturday or early next week.
Following is authoritative text of final paragraph preceding recommendations in the report (see my 103, February 12, 1 p.m., part 3, paragraph 2):
“In order to facilitate as much as possible the establishment in the Far East of a situation in conformity with the conclusions of the present report the Secretary General is charged with communicating a copy of this report to states nonmembers of the League signatories of the Pact of Paris or the Treaty of Washington, expressing to them the hope of the Assembly to see them disposed to associate themselves with the views expressed in the report and, if occasion warrants, to concert their action and attitude toward the development of events in the Far East with members of the League.”
I am reliably informed that the report will be some 45 pages long. We shall make every effort to mail it to you in confidence via Bremen sailing February 17 if report has been agreed to by Committee of Nineteen by that time as the present “time table” would seem to indicate as likely.
- February 9.↩