893.51/3455
The Secretary of State to the American Group
Gentlemen: The Department has received your letter of June 15 [16], 1921,60 referring to its letter of April 29, 1921, relative to the proposals concerning the Chinese Land Tax contained in the minutes of the inter-group meetings at London, January 30, 1917, and at New York, October 15, 1920, and enclosing a copy of a letter from Sir Charles Addis60 to the effect that the Resolutions of January [Page 368] 30, 1917, were approved by the four groups concerned. Sir Charles Addis states that he does not know whether those resolutions were formally approved by the several Governments. In the Department’s letter to you of April 29, the suggestion was made, that in view of the intimate relationship existing in China between the administration of the tax on land, and the domestic affairs of the country, it might be wise for the American Group to consider whether it should not take steps to dissociate itself from any proposal to administer that tax.
In your reply of May 5, 1921,60a you stated that you preferred to postpone seeking the views of the American Group on such question until the return of Mr. Lamont from Europe. It is understood that Mr. Lamont has now returned and the Department believes that the letter from Sir Charles Addis offers an opportunity for consideration by the Group of the Department’s suggestion which it hereby renews.
I am [etc.]
Assistant Secretary