File No. 793.94/400.
Chargé Wheeler to the Secretary of State.
Tokyo, May 26, 1915.
Sir: On the 24th instant I had the honor to telegraph the Department that the Tokyo newspapers of that date contained telegrams from Peking stating that the United States had presented to China and Japan a note of warning to the effect that it cannot recognize any agreements, in the Sino-Japanese treaty about to be concluded, which conflict with the principles of the open door and equal opportunity, or with China’s sovereign rights or territorial integrity. My telegram stated that the general tone of editorial comment on the report was resentful.
I attach hereto, as enclosure, translations from the vernacular newspapers.17
While it was apparent that the identic note referred to was the one embraced in the Department’s telegram of May 11, 5 p.m., and communicated by me to the Foreign Office on May 13, I was apprehensive that any popular resentment, from whatever misunderstanding it may have arisen, might be utilized by the opposition (which has been grasping at any weapon capable of being used against the administration) and thus result in a lingering irritation against the United States. Today’s newspapers, however, contain a paragraph telegraphed from Washington stating, on authority said to be official, that the American note to Japan and China is “merely of a legal nature, designed chiefly to affect the phraseology of the new treaty “and that no difficulties are looked for.
[Page 159]In view of this statement I do not anticipate that unfriendly comment on the incident will continue.
I have [etc.]
- Not printed.↩