Office of the Historian

893.0146/791: Telegram

The First Secretary of Embassy in China (Smyth) to the Secretary of State

Peiping, June 12, 1940—4 p.m.
[Received June 13—12:20 a.m.]

194. Peiping’s 168, May 17, 2 p.m., and 169, May 17, 3 p.m.,64 status quo in diplomatic quarter. With the entry of Italy into the European war, the commandants of Embassy guards of belligerent nations signed today an agreement for the maintenance of the status quo in the diplomatic quarter and to avoid friction among their respective guards which is as follows:

(1)
To conform to a liberty schedule prepared by Colonel Turnage, the American Commandant, who is also Senior Commandant, which provides that Italian and Anglo-French enlisted men will have liberty on different days.
(2)
Each general will provide a patrol on its liberty night.
(3)
Members of the French and British guards will not visit certain places of amusement of Italo-German ownership.
(4)
Uniforms will be worn on liberty unless otherwise ordered by higher authority and the men will be warned to preserve the peace and to stay away from enemy embassies and glacis.
(5)
Disputes or incidents will be referred to the Senior Commandant.

This agreement was prepared and witnessed by Colonel Turnage. The sincerity of the several commandants cannot be doubted and no serious incidents are anticipated. Colonel Turnage sent a copy of the agreement to Japanese Commandant.

Repeated to Chungking, Tientsin, Shanghai. By airmail to Tokyo.

Smyth
  1. Neither printed.↩