893.00/6545: Telegram
The Minister in China (MacMurray) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 24—10:30 a.m.]
347. Following is substance of two telegrams received from Canton:
“Liao Chung-hoi, head of the local radical movement and former civil divisions, was assassinated August 20th. Three Chinese took part, one being killed and two escaping. Their names are not yet known nor is it clear to what faction they belong. Members of administration are accusing British of having instigated the plot but many Chinese say that dissatisfied strikers or agents of opposition military leaders were responsible. Impossible to foresee effect of Liao’s death on the situation in Canton but he was the foremost leader of the radicals who are undoubtedly badly shaken.[”]