File No. 893.00/2928
The Minister in China (
Reinsch) to
the Secretary of State
No. 2354
Peking,
December 2, 1918.
Sir: In connection with my despatch (No.
2337)1 reporting
on the representations made in favor of reconciliation in China, I
have the honor to enclose copies of the aide-mémoire as it was finally adopted by the Ministers
and presented to the President of the Republic and the Southern
leaders. The only change from the version transmitted to you is the
insertion near the middle of the second paragraph of the clause,
“while refraining from taking any step which might obstruct peace.”
This clause was inserted at my suggestion in order to give a hint
that the taking, by either party, of action which by the other would
be considered a fatal obstruction to peace ought to be avoided; such
as, for instance, the election of a Northern militarist as Vice
President would have been.
The aide-mémoire was presented to His
Excellency, the President, at 4 o’clock this afternoon. The exact
date and hour of the presentation in Canton is not yet known to me.
It is, however, intended to be as nearly contemporaneous with the
action here as is possible.
I have [etc.]
[Enclosure]
AIDE-MÉMOIRE
It is with grave concern that the Governments of France, Great
Britain, Italy, Japan and the United States have witnessed the
continued civil strife which during the past two years has
divided this country. This unhappy division has proved no less
harmful to foreign interests than disastrous to the welfare of
China itself. The consequent unrest has been an encouragement to
the enemy, and during the supreme crisis of the war has hampered
the; effective cooperation of China with the Allies: and now
that that crisis is past and the nations look forward to the
hope of effecting some organization of the world for the
realization of peace and justice among all peoples, the disunion
still prevailing in China makes their task more difficult.
The associated Governments of France, Great Britain, Italy, Japan
and the United States have observed with hopefulness the steps
already taken by the President of the Republic with a view to
the settlement of the civil strife, and have been happy to
believe that the attitude of the Southern leaders indicated no
less a desire on their part to arrive at an amicable adjustment
of differences. These Governments have therefore taken occasion
to express the sympathy and the hopefulness with which they
regard these indications of a desire on the part of both the
Peking Government and the leaders of the Southern party to set
aside all considerations of merely personal sentiment and of
legal technicality, and while refraining from taking any step
which might obstruct peace to seek without delay by frank
conference some means of attaining a reconciliation, upon a
basis of law and of devotion to the interests of the Chinese
nation, such as is necessary to assure to China peace and unity
within its borders.
In taking occasion to express their earnest sympathy with the
efforts of both sides to achieve a solution of the difficulties
that have hitherto divided them, the Governments of France,
Great Britain, Italy, Japan and the United States desire to make
clear that in so doing they have in contemplation no ulterior
plan of intervention and no desire to control or influence the
particular terms of adjustment, which must remain for the
Chinese themselves to arrange. They desire only to lend what
encouragement they can to the aspirations and efforts of both
parties for a reconciliation and a reunion which will enable to
[the?] Chinese nation to bear the more worthily of its own
traditions its part in the reconstruction which the nations of
the world are now hoping to attain.
