Mr. Choate to Mr. Hay.
London, February 11, 1904.
(Mr. Choate reports that he has communicated to Lord Lansdowne Department’s telegram of the 10th instant and the instructions to the United States ministers at St. Petersburg, Tokyo, and Peking, and that he was given the following memorandum:
“The Imperial Government cordially approve in principle the communication which the United States Government has made and will gladly join them in recommending it to the belligerents for acceptance. It seems to them, however, that it will require some qualification in regard to the description of the area to be neutralized. In their opinion it is unlikely that Japan will agree to the neutralization of Manchuria, which, although forming a part of the Chinese Empire, is now in the occupation of Russia, and should the Japanese Government object to include that province in the neutralized area His Majesty’s Government could not press them to do so.”)