File No. 861.00/895
The British Embassy to the Department of State
Memorandum
The Russian Minister recently went to see the British Minister at Peking to ask his advice as to whether it was desirable that the Bolsheviki leaders and disaffected troops at Harbin should be arrested and deported by Chinese troops. This action had been recommended to him by the Russian Consul at Harbin with the concurrence of the foreign consuls there. The Chinese troops have the situation well in hand and are in a position to carry out the arrests, according to the British Minister, but the latter states that neither he nor the Russian Minister can predict what effect such drastic action would be likely to have on the Bolsheviki government which shows by its telegrams from Petrograd that it considers Manchuria to be Russian territory.
The British Minister considers that the only solution of the present difficulty would be the disbandment of the disaffected troops, but he thinks it desirable that the Chinese should defer action until it is certain that the general in command of the Russian troops is unable to carry out the disbandment himself.
His Majesty’s Government have instructed the British Minister that it would not, in their opinion, be wise for the Chinese troops to arrest the Bolsheviki troops and leaders in present circumstances. They are consulting their allies and, in the meanwhile, the British Minister is to persuade the Chinese Government not to order action of the kind.
[Page 15]The British Embassy are instructed, in bringing the above to the knowledge of the State Department, to enquire the views of the United States Government which they would be glad to have at as early a date as possible.