File No. 5315/598.
Chargé Hitt to the Secretary of State.2
Berlin, November 24, 1909.
Mr. Hitt reports that the foreign office has informed him that the German bankers are authorized and prepared to sign at once the agreement with the Chinese.
Refers to departments telegram of November 17, 8 p.m., and says that foreign office agrees that it is understood by the Imperial German Government that the Government of the United States agrees to the American engineer on the Hsiangyang-Kuangshui section being under the direction of the German chief engineer of the entire Hupeh section, and that the American engineer shall not interfere with the judgment of the German chief engineer, regarding the purchase of materials on the condition that the broad rights applicable to the whole of the Hankow-Ch’eng-tu line assured to American nationals on an equal footing with the nationals of the other interested powers are not disturbed thereby.
Mr. Hitt says the provision regarding article 18, quoted in the department’s telegram above referred to, has been communicated by the German bankers to the British group and the willingness of German [Page 213] bankers to accede thereto has been signified, but in view of the attitude of the British Government that engineering question must be disposed of before other questions are decided on, the foreign office does not wish to bind itself at present to accept the same.
- Repeated to London and Peking.↩