Mr. Conger to Mr. Hay.
Peking, China , March 30, 1904 .
Sir: I have the honor to confirm your telegram of the 26th instant, and my reply of the 29th.
It has been generally known for the past two years that the Viceroy Yuan Shih-k’ai has had a number of Japanese officers employed as military instructors, advisers, and translators, mostly at Pao-ting fu, and they have usually dressed as Chinese. The Pao-ting fu troops have recently all moved to the northeast of this province, near the Manchurian border, and these instructors’ no doubt went with them, but from sources which I deem reliable I am informed that no additional Japanese have recently been employed, and that none of those now with the army have been given any sort of command, and that altogether there are not more than half a dozen of them.
The Chinese, ever since I have been in China, have had German officers at various places employed as military instructors, and were it not for the present war the presence of these Japanese with the Chinese army would not be remarked at all.
I have, etc.,