Office of the Historian

893.00/6764: Telegram

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

Peking, November 18, 1925—5 p.m.
[Received November 18—10:54 a.m.]

488. My 480, November 12, 4 p.m.36

1.
Information from several reliable sources indicates that possibility of immediate conflict in the north, that is, between Chang and Feng, appreciably diminished. It seems certain that, in typically Chinese fashion, a compromise agreement has suddenly been arrived at between them which it is rather generally believed will tide over the difficulties between them for the next few months. According to this agreement it would appear that Chang will remove his troops from Paotingfu and Tamingfu and probably as far as Lutai on the Peking-Mukden Railway some 50 miles north of Tientsin, thus evacuating all positions held between Nanking and Tientsin, and that the latter port will be made available to Feng for import of munitions, etc. Feng on his part agrees to withdraw from vicinity of Peking northward, thus leaving a neutral zone in Chihli. Superficially Chang appears to give up more than Feng but it is quite likely that Chang is only too glad to be given a face-saving excuse for the withdrawal of his too widely extended line and commitments south of Tientsin.
2.
There remain of course the several independent factors, such as the Honan situation, which is very complicated by Sun Chuanfang, and the Yangtze provincial leaders with Wu Pei-fu nominally at their head. While it is true that the tension as regards an immediate conflict between Chang and Feng, which has been on the increase until the past few days, has now been very greatly lessened, it would be unwise to consider the possibility of war past since the equilibrium may be disturbed at any time by the action of the factors noted above over whom neither Chang nor Feng exercises effective control.
3.
Through train service south from Peking is now completely suspended; express trains on Peking-Hankow line taken off; express [Page 618] from Mukden from 5 to 15 hours late; and while Peking-Suiyuan Railway running on fairly regular schedules, passengers are prohibited from disembarking at Great Wall and Ming Tombs which are now in military zones delimited by Marshal Feng.
4.
Respectfully request repetition to War and Navy Department[s].
MacMurray
  1. Not printed.↩