793.94 Advisory Committee/42: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Switzerland (Wilson), at Geneva
103. Your 181, May 13, 8 p.m. It seems to the Department that such information as it possesses pertinent in reply to these questions is substantially identical with that which is possessed by the British and French Governments, members of the League.
However, our knowledge of practice is as follows:
The usual procedure, upon assignment of American consular officers to posts in China and upon transfer of such officers from one post in China to another post in that country, is for the American Government to notify the Chinese Government through the Legation in Peiping. Under long existing practice the American Government does not request exequaturs for American consuls in China. The Department understands that this is the practice which is followed by other powers exercising extraterritorial jurisdiction in China. In February of this year an American Vice Consul at Canton was transferred to Mukden and an American Vice Consul at Tsinan was transferred to Harbin. In these two instances, so far as the Department is informed, the usual procedure indicated above was followed. It is believed on good authority that there have been similar instances of British transfer of consular officers, with same procedure.