893.0146/788: Telegram
The Consul at Tientsin (Fletcher) to the Secretary of State
[Received 1:22 p.m.]
91. Reference my 78, May 17, 4 p.m.58 British, French, and Italian commanding officers of forces in Tientsin have this morning orally reiterated their statements of May 17 that they would exert every effort to avoid friction and maintain status quo at Tientsin.
The Italian Concession has been declared “out of bounds” for British and French liberty parties and likewise the British and French Concessions are “out of bounds” for Italian liberty parties.
The Concessions remain free of access to all nationals but Italian forces entering the British and French Concessions are to be in civilian clothes and military trucks are to fly no flags. Similarly British and French forces entering into the Italian Concession are to be in mufti and without insignia. If, in spite of these precautionary measures, an incident should arise involving the French with Italian nationals, an approach will be made to the commanding officer of the United States Marine Corps to use his good offices in endeavoring to effect an amicable settlement.
Repeated to Chungking, Peiping, Shanghai. Code text by air mail to Tokyo.
- Not printed.↩