File No. 861.77/465
The Secretary of State to the Chargé in China ( MacMurray )
Your September 7, 8 p.m.1 The Department’s August 30, 4 p.m.,2 transmitted to you through Tokyo contemplated—
[Here follows, mutatis mutandis, the text of the telegram to the Ambassador in Japan, September 11, 4 p.m., ante, page 246.]
Similar instructions are being sent to Tokyo, London, Paris, and Rome.
Tokyo reports that the Allied representatives at Vladivostok and the Japanese General Staff disapprove the present elimination of Horvat. The Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs stated that he realized that the railways ought to be taken out of political controversy and operated on a business plan but that misunderstanding and possible suspicion as to America’s object might make it difficult. He promised a formal reply soon.
In reference to your queries regarding the Russo-Asiatic Bank and the Chinese president of the Chinese Eastern Railway, the intent of this instruction is to make clear that the proposal of this Government contemplates the operation of the railways with the cooperation of the Allied powers and the assistance of the Russian and Chinese officials and personnel without interference with the legal, political, or other rights of any interested parties.