861.77/2397

The Minister in China ( Schurman ) to the Secretary of State

No. 281

Sir: I have the honor to refer to my telegram No. 458, of December 22, 1921, 4 p.m.,48 relative to a protest addressed to me by Mr. Paikes on the Chinese Eastern Railway, and to forward herewith the text of his letter with enclosure.

I have [etc.]

Jacob Gould Schurman
[Page 876]
[Enclosure—Translation]

The Soviet Delegate in China ( Paikes ) to the American Minister in China ( Schurman )

No. 173

Mr. Minister: I have the honor, in accordance with instructions received from my Government, to transmit to Your Excellency the note attached concerning the question of the Chinese Eastern Railway, by which the solution of this question is placed under the exclusive jurisdiction of China and Russia.

A. Paikes
[Subenclosure—Translation]

The Soviet Commissar for Foreign Affairs ( Chicherin ) to the Secretary of State

Mr. Minister: Referring to its protest expressed in circular notes of July 1949 and December [November] 250 against the convocation without the participation of Russia of a conference having to deal with questions directly concerning the Russian people, the Russian Government feels obliged to issue another special protest against any discussion by the conference at Washington of the Chinese Eastern Railway, which question concerns Russia and China alone. The Russian Government has declared itself ready to return the railroad in question to the control of the Chinese authorities upon the acceptance by China of certain indispensable guarantees. This transference, however, has not yet taken place and Russian rights on the railway remain intact. As soon as a satisfactory settlement of this question shall have been reached between the Russian delegation charged with this task and the Chinese Government the transference of the rights of Russia which shall be agreed upon by this understanding will be put in force, but before such a time Russian rights will remain intact as formerly.

The Russian Government feels obliged therefore to protest against any decision which may be reached by the Conference at Washington to the detriment of Russian rights. It declares that it cannot recognise any infraction of the rights of the Russian workingmen which may be adopted without the knowledge of the government which represents his will, which government reserves full liberty of action to maintain these rights by whatever method or means it may judge opportune and propitious.

Please accept [etc.]

Tchitcherine
  1. Not printed.
  2. See despatch no. 2145, July 22, 1921, from the Chargé in Sweden, Foreign Relations, 1921, vol. i, p. 40.
  3. See despatch no. 543, Nov. 9, 1921, from the High Commissioner at Constantinople, ibid., p. 85.