The Secretary of State to Chargé Coolidge.
Washington, February 28, 1905.
Sir: The Department has received your dispatch No. 1792, of January 14, in which you inclose copy of the counter project regarding the Whangpu conservancy, prepared by the representatives of the powers at Peking signatories of the final protocol. You state your belief that the project will prove acceptable to the Chinese Government and recommend, if the Department sees no objection, that it be accepted without modification.
Inasmuch as the project seems to be on the general line of the agreement of the powers, urged in the Department’s circular instruction of November 19 last (of which copy was sent to you for your information), there would seem to be no reason why the project as now drawn up should not be acceptable to this government. A telegraphic instruction to this effect was sent to you yesterday.
I am, etc.,