File No. 793.94/286.
The Secretary of State to Minister Reinsch.
Washington April 9, 1915—5 p.m.
Your telegram April 7, 10 p.m. Japanese Ambassador informs me that his Government may desire to communicate to the Chinese Government contents of our note stating that this Government would have no objection to an agreement between China and Japan that no foreign Power should be permitted to establish a naval base or coaling [Page 125] station on the coast of Fukien.43 It is not certain that Japan will desire to communicate this but if it is communicated by the Japanese Government and the Chinese Government asks you for confirmation of it you are hereby authorized to confirm it by the despatch [instruction] which you received at the time. This relates not to the interior of Fukien but to the sea coast.
- Instruction of March 26, 3 p.m.↩