393.0015/115
The Consul General at Shanghai (Gauss) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 15.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to my telegram no. 807, September 9, 2 p.m.,71 in regard to the unsuccessful efforts of this Consulate General to arrange through the Japanese Consulate General at Shanghai for the transportation to Hankow of two inspectors of the Standard-Vacuum Oil Company and two auditors of the National City Bank of New York, and to the telegram no. 475, September 14, 1 p.m., from the Embassy at Tokyo71 stating that the matter had been [Page 395] made the subject of informal representations to the Japanese Foreign Office. As was mentioned in my telegram under reference, the Japanese Consulate General explained that the difficulty in the present instance arose from the fact that the applicants do not come within the Japanese category of “business replacements,” that is, are not proceeding to Hankow to replace other employees of the same firm.
On October 4 a Japanese consular officer orally informed this office that arrangements had been made to transport the two National City Bank of New York inspectors, Mr. Morrisson and Mr. Lang, on the next Japanese transport leaving Shanghai in about ten days. On October 6 the same offer was made to transport the two Standard-Vacuum Oil Company auditors, Mr. Lovett and Mr. Hill. When this information was communicated to the four American applicants concerned they replied that they had been instructed by their home offices in the United States to abandon the projected trip to Hankow. They explained that the time allotted for their work in Hankow had elapsed and that they now had other work which might not be interrupted for the purpose of a trip to Hankow.
Although there is no further action to be taken in the present case, it may be pointed out that the long delay in providing travel accommodations to the applicants has had the result of effectively preventing the travel of the four Americans concerned to the detriment of the legitimate interests of the American firms by which they are employed.
Moreover, the Japanese consular officer with whom the case was discussed stated that, in offering to transport the four above-named persons to Hankow, an exception was being made to the Japanese military ruling on the subject, but that the ruling restricting the travel of foreign business representatives to business “replacements”, remains in force. It is to be anticipated, therefore, that in the future a repetition of the present difficulties may be encountered in connection with the applications of other American business representatives for transportation to Hankow.
Respectfully yours,