500.A 4 e/263: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in China (MacMurray)
198. Your 320, August 8, 10 a.m. I approve views set forth in paragraphs 2 and 3 of your telegram. If an identic note along lines of American draft communicated in my telegram No. 165 July 23, 3 p.m.52 is adopted this should satisfy Chinese as regards scope of conference and serve as preliminary basis of conference agenda. Otherwise it would be better to go into the conference on the basis of the treaty and leave conference to develop and to obtain authority to deal with such further matters as its deliberations might prove necessary or advisable.