893.195/38: Telegram
The Minister in China (Schurman) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 20—4:15 p.m.]
352. Your number 224, October 18, 4 p.m. My 346, October 14, 2 p.m.24 Koo refused to state in writing that Chinese Government would receive and consider diplomatic body’s railway police scheme, whereupon dean threatened to terminate negotiations. Agreement was finally reached by Koo’s undertaking to inform Cabinet and President that dean’s acceptance of the terms of Koo’s letter was conditional on his understanding that Chinese Government without pledging itself to acceptance would receive and consider such scheme of railway police as the diplomatic body might present.
The dean’s proposal now is to give the Chinese Government time to submit to the diplomatic body a scheme of their own which is to be framed with the diplomatic body’s scheme confidentially before them. French and British Ministers and I today expressed to the dean our willingness that this course should be followed.
Government is in dread of being attacked for sacrificing Chinese sovereignty especially as they have already been accused of conceding Lincheng demands for a mere social courtesy. My above-mentioned colleagues and I am [are] quite willing to save face of Government and postpone presentation of diplomatic body’s railway police scheme if the end can be secured through apparently voluntary action on the part of the Chinese Government.
[Page 709]Mandate relieving Tien from office dated 14th appeared in official Gazette 16th as did a second mandate creating Tien a marshal. As this was in contravention of diplomatic body’s note of August 10th which provided that Tien should receive no new honors after dismissal, an informal protest was made by dean resulting in publication in yesterday’s Gazette of a further mandate explaining that sequence of two mandates first mentioned had been invented [inverted?] through error and consequently Tien’s appointment as marshal was to be taken as preceding his dismissal from post of Tuchun. On this basis the matter has been allowed to rest.
Koo considered that he had been placed in an invidious position towards diplomatic body as a result of publication of mandates in order in which they first appeared and resigned but on publication of new mandate regularizing proceedings has agreed to continue in office for the present.