693.006 Manchuria/38a: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the First Secretary of Embassy in China (Smyth), at Peiping
122. Tientsin’s 128, July 17, 2 p.m., 129, July 17, 8 p.m.; Chungking’s July 22, 9 a.m., to Peiping; Peiping’s 244, July 20, 9 a.m., 246, July 22, 2 p.m.;6 and other telegrams in regard to import exchange restrictions in north China.
The Department’s position in regard to the new import exchange measures having been made clear to the Japanese Government in the representations which were made by Ambassador Grew in Tokyo on July 15,7 the Department is of the opinion that embassy and consular officers should lend all the assistance which they may consider appropriate to American citizens and firms who seek to carry on trade under the new regulations and seek to obtain reasonable adjustments and modifications of those regulations.
With reference to Tientsin’s 128, July 17, 2 p.m., the Department concurs in the view that American firms should be advised to decide for themselves whether or not to comply with the new regulations. With reference to Tientsin’s 129, July 17, 8 p.m., the Department perceives no objection to efforts on the part of the Consulate General to [Page 531] aid American firms in such circumstances and considers that assistance in such circumstances might appropriately include local representations.
Representations made to agencies of local régimes should be strictly informal. They of course carry no implication of recognition on the part of this Government of the legality of the application of regulations issued by local régimes to American citizens or firms.
Sent to Peiping. Repeated to Tientsin, Chungking and Shanghai. Peiping please send code text by air mail to Tokyo.
- None printed.↩
- Foreign Relations, Japan, 1931–1941, vol. i, p. 861.↩