393.1123 Lincheng/206
The Department of State to the British Embassy
Memorandum
With reference to the British Embassy’s memorandum of June 19, 1923, relating to the proposal made by the British Minister at Peking for the creation in China of a railway police force under foreign officers for the purpose of providing an effective guarantee for the safety of foreigners, the Secretary of State has to advise the Embassy that on June 23 he instructed the American Minister at Peking to report in detail upon the nature of the proposals for such an organization. From a report by the Minister, dated July 16th, it appears that the Committee of the Diplomatic Body, appointed to formulate the demands to be presented in connection with the settlement of the Lincheng incident, has had considerable discussion on the subject of the proposed railway police, but that, on the date above mentioned, they voted to postpone further consideration of this question until the return of the British Minister, who had been absent at Pehtaiho for a week.
The Committee of the Diplomatic Body has now completed the draft note covering the demands to be presented to the Chinese Government: but it does not appear that there has been any elaboration of the bare principle of a railway police under foreign officers, the details of this plan being reserved for subsequent communication to the Chinese Government. While believing the plan to be intrinsically meritorious, this Government is not in a position to indicate its unqualified support thereof until it is made aware of the practical [Page 682] details of the proposal. It also believes it somewhat hazardous to incorporate such a demand in the note for presentation to the Chinese Government before the Diplomatic Body shall have formulated the details of the plan with such a degree of precision as to assure substantial accord when final arrangements are to be made with the Chinese Government for the actual organization of the force. This Government shares the view of the British Government, as expressed in the Embassy’s memorandum of June 19th, that it is desirable that “action should be taken promptly before the effect created by the recent outrage has had time to wear off”. It therefore hopes that the full exposition of the proposal originally made by the British Minister may be expedited, with a view to harmonizing at as early a date as possible the views of the Diplomatic Body and thus preventing any dissipation of influence on the part of the Powers in dealing with the questions arising from the railway outrage of last May.