893.113/157
The Chargé in Japan (Bell) to the
Secretary of State
Tokyo, June 14,
1921.
[Received July 14.]
No. 857
Sir: With reference to my telegram No. 145 of
April 26, 12 noon, transmitting the text of a confidential note from the
Minister for Foreign Affairs concerning the arms embargo with regard to
China, and to the Department’s telegram No. 75 of April 29, 1 p.m.66 stating that our
Government would welcome any evidence at the disposal of the Japanese
Government regarding the actual existence of the Canton contracts
mentioned in Count Uchida’s note, I have the honor to report that I did
not fail to bring this matter to the immediate attention of the Minister
for Foreign Affairs.
I now have the honor to transmit herewith a Strictly Confidential
Memorandum dated May 25, 1921, regarding the abovementioned
[Page 558]
contracts which was this day
handed to me by the Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, as reported by me
in my telegram No. 202 of June 14, 4 p.m.,66a and to add that I have
forwarded copies thereof to the American Minister at Peking for his
information.
I have [etc.]
[Enclosure]
The Japanese Foreign
Office to the American
Embassy
Memorandum
While naturally refraining from affirming positively the report
referred to in their note of April 2567 addressed to the
American Chargé d’Affaires to the effect that some American
merchants had supplied the Canton Government with machinery for
manufacturing arms and other articles the Japanese Government are
none the less inclined to give a certain degree of credence to the
information, emanating, as it did, from an official Chinese source.
The substance of the said report may therefore with pertinence be
given somewhat more in detail. Mo Ying-hsin, Ex-Governor of Canton,
and Ma Chi, Superintendent-General of the Canton Arsenal, made a
contract through Messrs. Davis & Co., American merchants at
Hongkong, for the purchase from America [of] machinery for
manufacturing rifles, a number of airplanes, and iron material for
the construction of an arsenal, amounting in value to three million
silver dollars of which sum seven hundred thousand dollars being
paid as earnest. It would seem that Mo Ying-hsin and Ma Chi
contemplated transporting these articles to Kwangsi where to build a
new arsenal. Of these goods, the iron material arrived while the
Ex-Governor was still in office and was immediately transported to
Kwangsi, but the arrival (about December of last year) of the
machinery and the aeroplanes was delayed until after the revolution
in Canton whereby the two officials lost their positions. As the
contract was made in behalf of the Province of Canton, the articles
last named were received by Chen Chiung-ming. They tried at the time
to install the machinery in the Shih ching Arsenal of Canton but
could not do so on account of the arsenal being too small in
scale.
As for the report of the purchase from America by the Canton
authorities through merchants at Macao of more than a dozen
amphibious military planes, the Japanese Government came by the
information from a no less reliable source though they have not been
able to obtain further details in this respect. It may, however, be
mentioned in this connection that previous to this (about November
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of last year) the
Japanese Government received a news which might possibly be
connected with the same subject as the said report and which, though
not confirmable, cannot, in view of the circumstantial account it
gives, be dismissed as a groundless rumour. It is roughly to the
following effect:—
- (1)
- In February of last year, at the request of Chen
Chiungming a certain Mr. Chen Ching-yun (said to be a
graduate of an American aviation school) went to Shanghai
and ordered by letter seven hydroplanes from America. Where
the order was placed is not stated, but Chen Ching-yun is
said to have mentioned the American Navy.
- (2)
- Of these seven hydroplanes, two arrived at Swatow on
September 11 of last year by S.S. Tung
Sheng of Jardine, Matheson & Co. As they were
entered in the declaration simply as “aeroplanes”, the
Customs Office at Swatow proceeded to examine them as common
goods. The headquarters of the Canton Army thereupon
despatched a number of armed troops who prevented the
examination and caused them to be landed almost by force.
The hydroplanes were being kept in hangar at the
headquarters of the aviation corps of the Canton Army. The
details of these hydroplanes are as follows:
- (a)
- Large size HSIL Curtiss 400 HP. Six-seated biplane
capable of flying continuously for 7 hours, and of
carrying 400 pounds of bombs. Price 13,000 gold
dollars.
- (b)
- Small size Acromarine Curtiss 100 HP.
Double-seated hydrobiplane, capable of flying
continuously for 3 hours, and of carrying 100 pounds
of bombs. Price $6,000.
- (3)
- Two more planes of the same type as that given
under (a) were sent by S.S.
Kuang Sheng of Jardine,
Matheson & Co. which arrived at Hongkong on
October 9 of last year.
- (4)
- The remaining four planes classed as large-sized
hydroplanes seating fifteen persons, were still on
the way at the time.
