File No. 893.00/1034.
The Department of State to the Austro-Hungarian Embassy.
aide mémoire.
By an undated aide mémoire from the Imperial and Royal Austro-Hungarian Embassy at Washington the Department of State learns that the Imperial Japanese Embassy in Vienna has communicated to the Austro-Hungarian Foreign Office a circular telegram from the Imperial Japanese Government, according to which that Government considers it opportune now to put its proposal of February, 1912, concerning the recognition of the Chinese Republic into concrete form, and that Count Berchtold would be disposed to give the Imperial and Royal Austro-Hungarian Minister at Peking the necessary instructions in the sense of the Japanese proposal, if the other Cabinets were willing to do likewise.
From the aide mémoire it appears that the proposal of the Imperial Japanese Government is that the powers should recognize the Chinese Republic as far as possible at the same time, when in the course of the present session of Parliament lasting tranquility in the country should appear secured and the fulfillment of the international obligations of China should be guaranteed by the new Government; that choice of the suitable moment should be left to the diplomatic representatives in Peking, and that the recognition should be effected by means of identical notes drafted by said representatives and delivered to the Chinese Government.
With respect to the wish of the Imperial and Royal Austro-Hungarian Government to be informed of the attitude of the Government of the United States towards the Japanese proposal, the Imperial and Royal Austro-Hungarian Embassy is informed that the President has directed the American representative at Peking to present the President’s letter of recognition as soon as the Chinese Constituent Assembly is organized by the election of officers and that the President has expressed the desire that other nations join in recognizing the Chinese Republic at the same time.
Washington , April 26, 1913.