893.00/6092: Telegram

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

120. Chang Tso-lin, March 17th, summoned British and American consuls20 to interview and according to American consul’s written report “made it plain that he was determined first to oust Feng, Hu and Sun;21 second, that he and Wu Pei-fu were on excellent terms; [Page 601] and, third, that hostilities would start in the very near future. Further, more as an intimation, that he himself would establish the next government in Peking.”

Consul adds small local coin currency “depreciating for some time and in the past few days the drop in the value of this currency has been quickened considerably. The symptoms are the same as were present last autumn just before the outbreak of hostilities between Wu and Chang.”

Chang informed consuls he was reorganizing his army and expected within a month “a large consignment of arms and ammunition at present en route from Europe.”

Consul believes it is Chang’s intention “once he overcomes Feng in the spring to install himself as the ruler of China.” Both consuls surmise that Chang’s reason for the interview was that he “was probably looking forward to the time when the question of the recognition by the foreign powers of his government with himself as head in Peking would come; he would not want to be in the position of not being granted recognition, after he had gone to so much trouble.”

I believe it inevitable that Chang should fight it out before long with Feng. Probably his motive in sending for the consuls was (1) to feel out how much moral support he might get from their countries in his warfare against what he calls the hosts of Bolshevism, and (2) to ascertain by subsequent percussions what were the relations of their countries with Feng and his military associates. The military attaché on the basis of reports from Mukden, etc., does not expect fighting in the immediate future.

Schurman
  1. At Mukden.
  2. Hu Ching-yi and Sun Yu-eh, lieutenants of Feng Yu-hsiang.