793.00/134
The British Chargé (Chilton) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 12.]
Sir: I duly telegraphed to my Government the contents of the note which you handed to me at the State Department on the 5th instant on the subject of the situation in China.
I have now been instructed by His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, to inform you that he agrees with your view regarding the extraterritorial Commission, as explained in that note, and which Mr. Chamberlain understands as being identical with that expressed in the Washington Conference Resolution.
His Majesty’s Government have informed their Representative at Peking that the United States Government have submitted a draft on the lines of the former American draft, different in wording and less severe in tone, but embodying all the suggestions made in the instructions sent to His Majesty’s Representative in Peking, the substance of which I communicated to you in my note No. 723 of the 30th ultimo, with the exception of that portion which specifically referred to strikes, upon which His Majesty’s Government will not insist.
His Majesty’s Representatives accredited to the other interested Powers have been instructed to inform the Governments of those Powers of this new United States draft, and to say that it sufficiently meets the point desired by His Majesty’s Government.
His Majesty’s Representatives above-mentioned have been informed that, in the interests of international solidity, His Majesty’s Government would be prepared to adopt this draft as a basis for an identic reply to the Chinese Government, which they are most anxious to expedite and are instructing His Majesty’s Representative at Peking to arrange with his colleagues accordingly.
His Majesty’s Representatives to the interested Powers are being also instructed to inform the Governments to which they are respectively accredited that His Majesty’s Government appreciate the support in this matter rendered by these Governments and to express the hope that they will concur in this further development and send similar instructions to their respective Representatives in Peking.
I am to add that His Majesty’s Government would regard it as most unfortunate if the replies of all the Powers were not identical. They regard this as an essential sign of solidity, in the interests of which they are prepared to defer to the United States draft.
I am also to emphasise the fact that His Majesty’s Government are most anxious to expedite the reply to the Chinese Government.
I have [etc.]