File No. 893.00/1383b.
The Secretary of State to the American Ambassadors to France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Russia, and Austria.1
Washington, July 20, 1912.
Confidential memorandum. The powers are in full accord, the American Government believes, in the view that a stable central government is the first desideratum in China and that formal recognition by the powers, when granted, would go far to confirm the stability of the established government.
The Provisional Government appears now to be generally in possession of the administrative machinery, to be maintaining order, and to be exercising its functions with the acquiescence of the people. The situation accordingly seems to resolve itself to the question whether there are any substantial reasons why recognition should longer be withheld.
Would the Government of (insert name of country) now be disposed to consider whether the present Chinese Government may not be regarded as so far substantially conforming to the accepted standards of international law as to merit formal recognition?
In handing the foregoing textually to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Government to which you are accredited you may in strict confidence intimate that in this country public opinion is such that a strong demand for early recognition will probably be made through the Congress in case of undue delay of Executive action.
- Sent also to Peking “for the Legation’s confidential information only.”↩