Office of the Historian

793.94/11554: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Consul at Tsingtao (Sokobin)

Washington, December 11, 1937—1 p.m.

Reference Shanghai’s 1125, December 9, 8 p.m., and Ambassador’s 15, December 4, 9 a.m. If you have not already approached the local Chinese authorities on the basis of the Ambassador’s instruction under reference, you should do so now. You should not make any reference to the contents of Shanghai’s telegram above-mentioned.

You should promptly inform Shanghai and the Department of the action you have taken in regard to this matter.2

Hull
  1. The Consul General at Shanghai was fully informed in the Department’s telegram No. 637, December 11, 1 p.m., which instructed him that he might inform his Japanese colleague “of the general nature of the instructions” to Tsingtao.↩