500.A41a/77: Telegram
The Minister in China ( Schurman ) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 11—1 p.m.]
443. Your December 7, 4 p.m. At flood-relief ball in Foreign Office last night I found suitable occasion to talk to Minister for Foreign Affairs. I said China might gain more than any other nation from Conference but was throwing away opportunity by unreasonable and unaccommodating attitude of the delegation, on their serious [sic] and their failure to discriminate between what was important and unimportant, practical and impractical. I said [Page 276] sentiment of Chinese people here was drowned by utterances of unpractical agitators and referred to coming student procession to his office on 12th and intimated Washington delegation was unduly influenced by such one-sided manifestations. I added America wanted to help China and China was now making it impossible. I said it was of the utmost importance that Government and people should support Sze and Koo in their moderate and conciliatory attitude.
Minister for Foreign Affairs replied Government would support Sze and Koo and would insist entire delegation should play the game. He claimed, however, little had so far resulted from the Conference for the benefit of China, even the abolition of foreign post offices being loaded with conditions. He said he had recently told Obata55 that Tsingtau-Tsinan Railway must be turned over entirely to China or there could be no settlement Shantung question and Obata had said he would telegraph it to Tokio. He also referred to proposed quadruple entente56 and said the President had recently pointed out to him that the chief beneficiary would be Japan, the next England and the last America who would simply find her hands tied. China suspect[s] quadruple entente still more strongly than consortium57 in which at any rate America would have large influence because she would supply so much of the capital.
At the close I again earnestly urged importance unified Chinese delegation and practical, reasonable and conciliatory attitude on their part warning otherwise of danger of their sacrificing Chinese interests.