File No. 893.00/2581

The Secretary of State to Minister Reinsch

[Telegram]

Your June 2, 6 p.m. Communicate textually to the Foreign Office the following:

The Government of the United States learns with the most profound regret of the dissension in China, and desires to express the most sincere desire that tranquillity and political coordination may be forthwith reestablished.

[Page 49]

The entry of China into war with Germany, or the continuance of the status quo of her relations with that Government, are matters of secondary consideration. The principal necessity for China is to resume and continue her political entity and to proceed along the road of national development on which she has made such marked progress.

With the form of Government in China, or the personnel which administers that Government, the United States has an interest only in so far as its friendship impels it to be of service to China. But with the maintenance by China of one central, united and responsible Government the United States is deeply interested, and now expresses the very sincere hope that China in her own interest and in that of the world will immediately set aside her factional political disputes, and that all parties and persons will work for the reestablishment of a coordinate government and the assumption of that place among the Powers of the world to which China is so justly entitled, but the full attainment of which is impossible in the midst of internal strife and discord.

If possible communicate substance of the above through unofficial channel to leaders of military party opposing the President.

The Department is proposing to Britain, France and Japan identic representations to China to restore national unity and maintain internal peace as of first importance to itself and to the world and to relegate the question of relation to the world war to secondary place.

Lansing