Office of the Historian

893.51/2859

The Department of State to the Japanese Embassy

Aide-Memoire

The Department of State has received the two Aide-Memoires of the Japanese Embassy, under date of July 2nd and July 8th respectively, in regard to the discussions which have taken place at Peking in reference to the communication to the Chinese Government of information concerning the basis upon which the American, British, French and Japanese Banking Groups, with the approval of their respective Governments, have associated themselves as a new Consortium for business with China.

This Government regrets that the proposal of the American Minister to communicate to the Chinese Government certain items of the correspondence incident to the formulation of that Agreement has, at least in appearance, led to some divergence of opinion among the Diplomatic representatives of the various Governments at Peking. It also shares the feeling of the Japanese Government that in order to bring the true aims and intentions of the Consortium to the just appreciation of the Chinese Government, it would be advisable to communicate to that Government without reserve not only the Consortium Agreement as adopted by the Banking representatives at Paris in May, 1919,38 and subsequently approved by their respective Governments, but also the letter of June 18, 1919,39 in which Mr. Odagiri40 proposed certain reservations [Page 551] in respect to Manchuria and Mongolia, and all subsequent official correspondence among the interested Governments with respect to the establishment of the new Consortium.

The Department is accordingly instructing its representative at Peking to consult with his Japanese, French and British colleagues with a view to reaching an understanding among them as to the communication of these documents to the Chinese Government for its confidential information.

Washington , July 13, 1920.
  1. See note of June 5, 1919, to the British Chargé, Foreign Relations, 1919, vol. i. p. 439.↩
  2. See telegram no. 2324, June 18, 1919, from the Ambassador in Great Britain, ibid., p. 451.↩
  3. Masunosuke Odagiri, Director of the Yokohama Specie Bank.↩