793.94119/416
The Ambassador in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 2.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to recent telegraphic correspondence with the Department in regard to a journey now being made by Dr. J. Leighton Stuart from Peiping to Hankow, which has for its apparent object suggestions to General Chiang Kai-shek for a possible compromise between the Chinese and Japanese Governments.
The idea that such a compromise might be possible seems to have occurred to a number of persons, and there have reached me intimations that various persons would be willing to take steps to promote a settling of the present conflict.
In this connection I have the honor to enclose memoranda86 of conversations with a Mr. Cressey,87 of the National Christian Council, on March 5, 1938, and with Mr. John Foster Dulles, well-known writer and lawyer, on the subject of mediation.
It will be noted that Mr. Cressey was actuated by a desire to bring Chinese and Japanese Christians together in the interest of peace, [Page 120] and that I informed him that I thought it would be unwise for American citizens at this time to attempt to become channels for attempts at mediation.
It will be observed that Mr. Dulles and I agreed that there was no basis upon which either the Government or the citizens of the United States could attempt to act as mediators between China and Japan, and that I expressed the view that the present Chinese Government would be forced to continue resistance against Japan until it should be wiped out, or until the Japanese Government should be prepared to consider a settlement on some precisely defined basis, in distinction to earlier so-called “terms,” which have been so general in scope as to permit the interpretation that Japan intends to reduce China to a condition of vassalage.
The attention of the Department is invited to the view expressed by Mr. Dulles that, since the British Government is on its way to a settlement of its differences with the Italian Government over Mediterranean problems,88 it would soon be in position to exert a firmer influence in the Far East and might even attempt to compel the Chinese to accept some kind of settlement at the hands of the Japanese.
On the afternoon of March 9, the day following my conversation with Mr. Dulles, Dr. Hsu Mo, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, informed Mr. Peck, Counselor of the Embassy, in the course of a general conversation, that the Chinese Government was somewhat puzzled over the failure of the American and British Governments to adopt stronger measures than had been taken by them to protect their treaty and other rights in China from infringement by Japan; in the case of Great Britain the Chinese Government was inclined to attribute this failure to the preoccupation of the British Government with the Italian threat to British interests in the Mediterranean. Assuming this reasoning to be well-founded, officials in the Chinese Government were speculating on the course which Great Britain might follow in the Far East in the face of Japanese encroachments if, as seems probable, the present Italian-British discussions result in a friendly understanding between the two countries in reference to various points at issue between them. Dr. Hsu Mo said that one view was that Great Britain was showing a clear tendency to deal realistically with Germany, Italy and Japan, members of the Anti-Comintern group, and that when its hands were comparatively free in Europe Great Britain would come to an understanding with Japan over British interests in the Far East, more or less ignoring China; while another view was that Great Britain would, when the time arrived, take a strong attitude toward Japan in defense of British rights in the Orient.
[Page 121]Mr. Dulles had conversations with General Chiang Kai-shek and other Chinese leaders on March 6–8, inclusive, and it is possible that these speculations regarding probable British action were suggested by him to the Chinese, or vice versa, but I am unable to hazard any opinion regarding this.
Yours respectfully,
- Not printed.↩
- Earl H. Cressy, of the Associated Boards for Christian Colleges in China, New York.↩
- For correspondence on the Anglo-Italian agreement of April 16, see Vol. i, pp. 133 ff.↩