393.1121/13: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Counselor of Embassy in China (Lockhart), at Peiping
162. Tsingtao’s 178, August 8, noon.38 Unless you perceive objection, please instruct the American Consul at Tsingtao for his guidance that we cannot admit any asserted right by Chinese police authorities [Page 369] to impose fines of any kind upon American citizens and that complaints against Americans for traffic violations should be brought before the Consulate and, in cases in which it is desired to impose a penalty, should be adjudicated in the American Consular Court. In such cases any fines imposed by the Consular Court upon conviction of the defendants would of course be covered into the Treasury of the United States but, as it is assumed that police action against such defendants would have as its purpose the deterring of further infractions rather than the collection of revenue, this procedure should be satisfactory to the police authorities. It is suggested that Sokobin also be instructed to advise American motorcar operators at Tsingtao to exercise care in order to avoid possibility of creating an issue of this matter with the local Chinese authorities.
Sent to Peiping. Repeated to Chungking.
- Not printed.↩