793.94/9245: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in China (Johnson)
137. Your 390, August 8, 1 p.m., and 394, August 9, 1 p.m. Although the Department is prepared to authorize you to sign the two communications as drafted, the Department feels that it is desirable that the proposed communications plainly indicate that the interested Governments had been giving serious thought and consideration to the situation at Shanghai which would arise were hostilities in that area to occur and that they had already reached a decision to make an approach to both the Chinese and the Japanese Governments with a view to seeking their assurances that their respective forces will not use the Shanghai area as a base for military operations.
With that in mind, the Department suggests for your consideration and the consideration of your colleagues changing the draft of proposed [Page 364] communication to the Chinese Government to read substantially as follows:
The opening paragraph as given in your 390. Second paragraph:
“Prompted by the considerations mentioned in the foregoing paragraph, the Ambassadors most interested were, at the moment there was delivered to some of them Your Excellency’s oral communication indicating the desire of the Chinese authorities to avoid all hostilities in the Shanghai region, preparing to approach simultaneously both the Chinese and the Japanese Governments on this subject. The undersigned diplomatic representatives, in the belief that the Chinese Government will do all in its power to carry out effectively the plan of excluding the Shanghai area from the scope of any possible hostilities, now address this communication to Your Excellency. We should welcome any additional assurance to that effect which Your Excellency may feel able to give. We are addressing a similar communication to His Excellency the Japanese Ambassador.”
It is also suggested that a similar communication, with appropriate changes, be sent to the Japanese Ambassador.
The Department is authorizing Tokyo to make the representations suggested in your 390 upon receipt from you of information that you and your colleagues have taken at Nanking the action envisaged and of textual changes in the communications that may be made.