893.102S/2106
The Chinese Embassy to the Department of State
It has been reported to the Chinese Government that the authorities of the International Settlement at Shanghai are contemplating the establishment of a Police Court of which the presiding judge is to be appointed by the Municipal Council upon the recommendation of the Japanese authorities.
This proposed measure is apparently calculated to meet the demands of the Japanese. If it is allowed to be put into effect, it will directly encroach upon the jurisdiction and function of the District Court established under the Shanghai Courts Agreement of February 17, 1930.3 It will not only be an infringement of the judicial power of the Chinese Government, but will jeopardise the persons and property of all residents in the Settlement by placing them under the immediate control of a Japanese-dominated Court.
The Chinese Government, therefore, earnestly hopes that the American Government will cause instructions to be issued to the authorities of the International Settlement at Shanghai with a view to preventing [Page 751] the carrying out of the above-mentioned project, so that the jurisdiction of the existing District Court may remain unimpaired.