793.00/105: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in China (MacMurray)
173. Legation’s telegrams 293, July 28, 9 a.m. and 300, July 29, 8 p.m. It is not my desire that the joint note or, if there should be no agreement upon a joint note, any note sent separately by us should be restricted in such a manner as to give to China the impression that we are not in good faith genuinely willing to give consideration to the matter of tariff revision but intend that the discussion be confined to the increasing of particular rates under the Conventional Tariffs. The United States is ready to give consideration to the [Page 805] entire matter of treaty revision in regard to tariffs and all other subjects to the extent that they concern us. I fail to understand the reason for the unwillingness of the British to participate in a joint note that is as broad as the British proposal concerning treaty revision as set forth in their No. 683 of July 7, quoted in the Department’s telegram No. 170, July 28, to the Legation. In the event that we have to send a separate note, it should not be limited to the tariff. In case you are strongly of the opinion that it is very inadvisable to use the words “tariff autonomy”, the words “looking toward ultimate tariff autonomy” may be omitted by you, inserting the words “dealing with the entire subject of the tariff” in the joint note. If, however, a separate note is sent by us, the words “looking toward ultimate tariff autonomy” should be omitted and nothing more.
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