893.102S/1916: Telegram
The Consul General at Shanghai (Gauss) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 18—8 a.m.]
916. Reference my No. 888, October 4, 2 p.m.92 As the situation in the western district has been continuing to deteriorate and there has been no evidence of any disposition on the part of the Japanese authorities or the Chinese municipality to find a mutually satisfactory solution with the Municipal Council, the Chairman of the Shanghai Municipal Council on October 11th addressed a formal communication to the Senior Consul (the Italian Consul General) outlining the situation in western area and asking for support of all interested Consuls. Senior Consul circulated letter and called meeting of Consular Body for October 19th whereupon Japanese Consul General wrote to Senior Consul stating that having been approached by the Chairman of the Council and several consular colleagues for his good offices to bring about an agreement between the Council and the Chinese municipality he has given earnest consideration to solving the question and appreciates every effort to ease the situation with the hope of bringing about fruitful results and under these circumstances a meeting of the Consular Body now would serve no useful purpose and would be “detrimental for the success of the negotiations in store”. Senior Consul without consulting his colleagues has canceled the call for the body meeting.
2. While unfortunately we have little reason to have confidence as to the good faith of the Japanese, those principally interested are disposed to allow more time before insisting upon a Consular Body [Page 94] meeting which in any case is unlikely to be productive of any substantial result.
Repeated to Tokyo, Chungking and Peiping.
- Not printed.↩