793.00/111
The Secretary of State to the British Chargé (Chilton)
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your note No. 723 of July 30, 1925, which is a reply to my note of July 23, dealing with Chinese affairs. The substance of the British Government’s comments upon the suggested draft which I communicated to you in my note of the 23rd instant has been communicated to the American Minister at Peking by telegraph. It seems necessary however to invite your attention to what appears to be a misinterpretation on the part of the British Government of the text of the American draft, for I note that the British Chargé at Peking has been informed that the British Government disapproved the statement that the extraterritorial commission “will be instructed to make recommendations to enable the Powers to consider what steps may be taken for relinquishing their extraterritorial rights”. You say that the British Government feels that the Commission “should be allowed to make such recommendations as may appear to them desirable without any lead from the Powers.” I think that if you will read carefully the draft quoted in my note of July 23, more particularly that part of the text thereof which appears on page 11,17 you will observe that this Government’s proposed draft states “it is prepared to instruct its commissioner to join his colleagues in including in their report recommendations based upon their findings which will enable the governments concerned, to consider what, if any, steps may be taken with a view to the relinquishment of extraterritorial rights”. I feel that thus phrased the sentence is all inclusive and does not carry, as the British Government seems to believe, any intention on the part of this Government to give any direction to its Commissioner other than this Government’s desire that he consider the question and give to it his views. This Government desires to examine any proposition which the Chinese Government wishes to make regarding the abolition of extraterritorial privileges and then decide, on the basis of the recommendations made by its Commissioner, what, if any, steps may be taken to meet the Chinese proposal.
I note that the British Government is of the opinion that the general tone of the reply which is to be made by the Corps Diplomatique should be less encouraging to the Chinese than in the American text, and that it objects to such phrases as “constant and sympathetic interest” of the United States Government towards the anticipated treaty move, and “gratification at progress in the improvement of the Chinese Judicial system”. Instructions have been sent to the [Page 815] American Minister in Peking to the effect that I have no objection to the omission of these words from the note, if the British Government finds it impossible to use phraseology of a similar character.
Accept [etc.]
- This reference is to the last sentence of the note.↩