File No. 893.51/802.
The American Ambassador to Russia to the Secretary of State .
St. Petersburg , March 15, 1912—3 p.m.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs sent late last night the following aide-mémoire:
The Imperial Government of Russia has been of the opinion since the beginning of the existing crisis in China that the loans should be made only after [Page 113] a preliminary understanding between the powers. The Russian Government expressed this idea to the Governments of England and of the United States of America at the time of the exchange of opinions following the note of the American Secretary of State recommending united action of the powers in China. It has, therefore, discouraged the attempts of Russian bankers to conclude Chinese loans before the establishment of such an understanding, and it has consequently learned with regret that the combination of English, French, German, and American bankers had advanced to the provisional government of Nanking the sum of 2,000,000 taels and another million to Yuan Shih-kai and was prepared to advance to him other sums in addition without any consultation with Russia on this subject. The purely political character of these advances causes the Russian Government to believe that it should take part in them in order to maintain the principle of the solidarity of the powders in regard to the new Chinese Government. The Russian Government finds itself obliged, however, to formulate from this moment the following conditions in regard to the said Russian participation: First, the advances of money to the provisional government of China, having a political character, should be considered as entirely independent of future Chinese loans; second, the Russian participation in these advances in no way shadows forth the Russian attitude in regard to future Chinese loans which may be negotiated by the combination. In consenting to take part in these advances the Russian Government believes itself right in waiting till the Governments whose subjects and citizens make part of the combination consent on their side to enter into pourparlers with Russia in regard to the conditions of carrying out future financial operations in China. It is well understood that the bankers of the countries taking part should meanwhile abstain from lending money to China without having obtained in advance the approval of the interested Governments. In case the conditions above indicated meet no objection on the part of the Governments represented in the combination, the Russian Government declares itself ready to furnish the representative of the Russo-Asiatic Bank at Peking with instructions to negotiate with the representatives of the financial group forming the combination on condition of Russian participation in the advances which have been made or which shall be made.
[Embassy at St. Petersburg instructed to repeat above telegram to Embassies at London, Paris, and Berlin.]