893.74/465
The British Ambassador (Howard) to the Secretary of State
Sir: In the note which you were so good as to address to Mr. Chilton on February 16th last, on the subject of radio and cable communications in China, you stated that, while frankly disappointed by what appeared to be the abrupt abandonment by the British Government of the position which it had urged the United States and other interested Governments to adopt, you were happy to note the assurance that this action of the British Government had been taken in no spirit of hostility to the American interests concerned.
Under instructions from His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, I now have the honour to inform you, in order that there may be no misunderstanding of the attitude of my Government, that His Majesty’s Government have not abandoned [Page 578] their position in this matter. His Majesty’s Government continue in agreement with the United States Government in considering that the Washington recommendations provide a reasonable compromise and, like the United States Government, they still hope that those recommendations will furnish a basis for a satisfactory settlement of this complicated question. Since, however, the carrying out of the recommendations has been obstructed by a difference of view which concerns the United States and Japan, His Majesty’s Government also feel that they are justified in drawing the attention of both the United States and the Japanese Governments to the fact that the cable companies have rights, which, in the absence of a general agreement based on the recommendations, cannot be ignored.
In this connection, I am instructed to add that it is of course always open to the United States wireless interests to come to a reasonable arrangement with the cable companies.
I have [etc.]