Note verbale handed to Acting Secretary of State Adee by the Japanese Minister, March 21, 1905.

telegram from baron komura to mr. takahira.

In reference to the promemoria of the Russian Government, which the Secretary of State was good enough to communicate to you and the substance of which you telegraped me, you are hereby instructed to hand to the Secretary of State the following as the reply of the Japanese Government to the charges of the Russian Government contained in that promemoria:

You are authorized to deny formally and categorically the suggestion or assertion that the Chinese bandits or other Chinese forces, regular or irregular, either in Mongolia, Manchuria, or any other part of China, are now or were at any time during the war directed by the Japanese officers, subjects, or other persons acting under the authority of the Japanese Government. You will say that the Japanese Government find no indication whatever of a renewal in any part of China of the antiforeign feeling which justifies the apprehension of popular outbreaks similar to those of 1900. That there exists some anti-Russian activity in those portions of Manchuria which are held by Russia is no doubt to some extent true. It is a just and inevitable consequence of Russia’s acts of aggression, for it could hardly be expected that even the most peacefully disposed inhabitants would calmly submit to the rule of the invader without some show of hostility. That such hostility in the present case is local and does not extend to foreigners generally is shown by the fact that it is entirely nonexistent in those regions from which Russian troops have been expelled. You will call the attention of the Secretary of State to my statement giving instances in which Russian forces had clearly violated the neutrality of China. You are authorized to confirm the accuracy of that statement in every particular. You will assure the Secretary of State in the most positive manner that the Japanese Government, mindful of their engagement at the beginning of the war and considering common interests of all the powers in China, have not only carefully and scrupulously refrained from any step tending to enlarge the area of military operation, but have used their undivided influence to induce the Chinese Government to take every necessary measure to prevent any anti-foreign uprising and that they will in the future loyally pursue the same course.