Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1939, The Far East; The Near East and Africa, Volume IV

393.11B21 Tan, Marcel O./7: Telegram

The Consul at Amoy (MacVitty) to the Secretary of State

Amoy, July 13, 1939—10 a.m.
[Received July 13—7 a.m.]

74. In reply to the Embassy’s at Tokyo telegram No. 325, July 12, noon, to the Department.¹⁴ Tan is being held by the Municipal Council of the International Settlement until the dispute as to whether he comes under the jurisdiction of the American or the Japanese authorities is settled. The Council will not release him to me without the approval of the Japanese Consul General or to the Japanese without my consent.

I am just in receipt of a letter from the Japanese Consul General stating “the Japanese Vice Minister has replied to the representations of the American Chargé d’Affaires to the effect that Tan is regarded as being of Chinese nationality and the handing over of Tan to the Amoy Peace Maintenance Committee is recognized as legal”.¹⁵

Repeated to Peiping for transmission to Tokyo. Repeated to Embassy at Chungking and to Shanghai.

MacVitty

14. Not printed.
15. Tan was released by the Kulangsu Municipal Council on May 9, 1940, at the request of the Japanese Consul General at Amoy.