893.51/3050: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Minister in China (Crane)
364. The information conveyed in your despatch No. 291, September 27,36 that several documents listed in our telegram No. 179, July 15,37 were not included among those referring to the new Consortium which you joined in communicating to the Chinese Government, was disappointing to the Department. This Government especially desired that among the documents communicated to the Chinese Government regarding the Consortium should be all of those in which the United States took the lead in opposing the claims which the Japanese Government was inclined to make regarding Manchuria based upon giving to the Lansing-Ishii Agreement an interpretation at variance with its true meaning. Some of the more important of these documents were omitted, and on this account those communicated may give the impression that it was pressure from her ally which led Japan to abate her claims. The Department was not aware of these omissions until the receipt of your despatch; and from your telegrams No. 286, October 2, and No. 305, October 8,38 it received the impression that its instructions had been complied with. Acting under this misapprehension the Department showed to the Chinese Minister confidentially copies of the documents listed in its telegraphic instructions, No. 179, July 15.
You must realize that a misunderstanding of this kind by the Department as to what an embassy or legation has done on its behalf places the Department in a dangerous situation in its negotiations with other Governments concerned. The Department hopes that hereafter the Legation will not depart from its instructions except when local emergencies create a condition which justifies telegraphing to the Department for a change of instructions.
You are instructed to keep in mind in any further discussions regarding publication of documents concerning the Consortium that it is our desire that all documents listed in our telegraphic instructions No. 179 of July 15 shall be included.