393.1115/6–1547: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Stuart) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 15—1:35 a.m.]
1308. It is Embassy’s understanding that Joint Chiefs of Staff have declared civilian evacuation from western Pacific areas in event emergency to be responsibility of CinCFE.63 In case of China authority has been delegated from CinCFE to ComNavWesPac.64 At present time Embassy is preparing for ComNavWesPac latest information with regard to location and number of American citizens in China. Current information shows approximately 5,900 American citizens including women and children in China including Hong Kong. Information not yet received from Hankow Consular district, but numbers there believed small. Excluding Hong Kong total, majority of whom are American citizens of Chinese race, there remains a balance of approximately 4,497 Americans. Of this balance 3,451 are concentrated in major coastal centers such as Shanghai, Canton, Tsingtao and Tientsin or smaller coastal and river ports where accessibility by surface craft is feasible. Thus there are approximately 1,046 Americans at interior points, 461 of whom are at Peiping. The remaining 585 are widely spread throughout the interior of China but with some considerable concentration in the lower Yangtze Valley provinces. These figures, of course, do not include the dependents of American military personnel in China who are concentrated in Nanking, Shanghai and Tsingtao.
From foregoing it can be seen there exists a troublesome but comparatively simple problem of evacuation in the case of majority of American citizens. In spite of current accelerated deterioration of overall situation in China, Embassy does not consider that at present time there is immediate need for suggesting that American citizens prepare for withdrawal. In any event Embassy does not consider that situation will develop in such a manner that at any given moment [Page 182] wholesale evacuation will become necessary. It is more likely that the need for evacuation will arise in specific areas from time to time as hostilities develop. For example, it may become necessary within near future to effect evacuation of some or all of American citizens from south Manchuria. Embassy and Consulates, particularly Consulates in North China, have consistently cautioned American citizens against proceeding to interior points for either residence or travel. Dept will, of course, recall past experience in China when it has been most difficult to influence Americans at interior points, particularly missionaries, to withdraw during troubled time. It is very likely that this pattern will repeat itself and that certain American citizens will elect to remain at their places of residence until such time as it may prove too late to effect evacuation.
Embassy is not aware of the number of British subjects residing in China or their locations. It is a reasonably safe assumption, however, that their distribution follows much the same pattern as that of Americans. Embassy perceives no reason for presence of warships of British Pacific Fleet in China waters specifically for “rescue and protective action” inasmuch as for the time being there is no real indication of a serious breakdown of Governmental authority in centers where concentration of foreign nationals is greatest. Embassy assumes that it should be our course at this time to continue to place the burden of responsibility for protection of American life and property on the regularly constituted civil authorities rather than risk undermining that authority by creating false panic among foreign residents by advocating or permitting the indiscriminate stationing of naval vessels along the coast of China until real need therefor arises. In certain circumstances, of course, the rescue of Americans or other nationals would be both necessary and advisable, but for the present sight cannot be lost of the fact that in the same areas where American citizens reside there are also large number of newly created Soviet citizens and “protective action” on part of either British or American fleets could well lead to undesirable Soviet intervention.
Embassy assumes that in event wholesale civilian evacuation from China becomes necessary, thought has been given to destination of evacuees, having in mind fact that Philippine Islands as a haven for evacuees is in different status than in the past. Furthermore, Embassy would appreciate receiving the guidance of Dept with regard to whether responsibility for decision as to when evacuation is advisable rests with CinCFE, ComNavWesPac for [or] this Embassy.