793.94/294a: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Japan ( Guthrie )
Washington
,
March 26, 1915—4 p. m.
Until our full communication16 has been received and answered we are not in position to consider definitely the requests relating to advisors, arms, and police supervision, but you might tentatively discuss the subject in the following sense if inquiry is made of you in regard to the subjects.
- First: As to advisors, Japan disclaims any desire to insist upon an undue or unfair representation, as compared with other countries, and China, we may assume, does not desire to discriminate against Japan in the employment of advisors. It might be possible for the two countries to reach an agreement whereby China would promise that in the selection of advisors no discrimination would be made against Japan as compared with other leading countries, either as to the number of advisors employed, or as to the subject matter concerning which the advisors are selected.
- Second: In the matter of arms a similar arrangement might be made. As Japan does not desire to insist upon the purchase from her of an unfair proportion of the arms, and as China has no reason to desire to discriminate against Japan in the purchase of arms, the agreement might be so worded that in the purchase of arms China would not discriminate against Japan as compared with the other leading powers, either in the amount or kind of arms purchased, due notice to be given of intended purchase.
- Third: If China is disposed to concede police supervision language should be employed explicitly limiting the application of this request to Manchuria and eastern Mongolia, and to such places in these provinces as have a considerable percentage of Japanese subjects. It might be definitely based upon proportion—that is, the provision for joint supervision might automatically become operative when a certain percentage of the population was made up of Japanese subjects.
The above suggestions are made for your use in case the subjects are brought up for discussion before the matter can be fully treated in the correspondence between the two countries.
Bryan
- The note to the Japanese Ambassador, Mar. 13, 1915, Foreign Relation, 1915, p. 105.↩