Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, 1925, Volume I

493.11/1168

Executive Order No. 4268, July 16, 1925, Providing for the Remission of Further Payments of the Annual Installments of the Chinese Indemnity

Whereas, a Joint Resolution of Congress, entitled a “Joint Resolution to provide for the remission of further payments of the annual’ installments of the Chinese indemnity”, approved May 21, 1924, provides as follows:

“Whereas by authority of a joint resolution of Congress approved May 25, 1908,³⁶ the President of the United States was authorized to remit unto China the sum of $11,961,121.76 of the Boxer indemnity fund accredited to the United States, which sum the President on December 28, 1908, duly remitted and which, at the request of China, was specified to be used for educational purposes; and

Whereas it is deemed proper as a further act of friendship to remit the balance of said indemnity fund amounting to $6,137,552.90 in order further to develop the educational and other cultural activities of China: Now therefore be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the President is hereby authorized, in his discretion, to remit to China as an act of friendship any or all further payments of the annual installments of the Chinese indemnity due under the bond received from China pursuant to the protocol of September 7, 1901,³⁷ as modified by Executive order on the 28th day of December, 1908,³⁸ pursuant to the authority of the joint resolution of Congress approved May 25, 1908, for indemnity against losses and expenses incurred by reason of the so-called Boxer disturbances in China during the year 1900, such remission to begin as from October 1, 1917, and to be at such times and in such manner as the President shall deem just.”; and

Whereas, the Minister of the Republic of China at Washington, to whom a copy of the said Joint Resolution was transmitted by the Secretary of State, informed the Secretary of State on June 14, 1924,³⁹ that his Government proposed to devote the funds thus made available to educational and cultural purposes, paying especial attention to scientific requirements, and to entrust the administration of the funds to a Board which should be composed of Chinese and American citizens as members; and

Whereas, the Minister of the Republic of China on September 16, 1924, forwarded to the Secretary of State a copy of the constitution of the Board⁴⁰ referred to in his communication of June 14, 1924, above mentioned, which Board, he stated, had been designated “The China Foundation for the Promotion of Education and Culture”; and

Whereas, the Minister of the Republic of China on June 6, 1925, informed the Secretary of State⁴¹ (1) that the Board of Trustees of the China Foundation for the Promotion of Education and Culture was a corporate body instituted by a Mandate of the President of the Republic of China on September 17, 1924, for the custody and control of the remitted indemnity funds; (2) that on June 3, 1925, the said Board had unanimously adopted a resolution reading textually as follows: “Resolved that the funds from the remitted portion of the indemnity due the United States to be intrusted to the China Foundation for the Promotion of Education and Culture be devoted to the development of scientific knowledge and to the application of such knowledge to the conditions in China through the promotion of technical training of scientific research, experimentation, and demonstration, and training in science teaching, and to the advancement of cultural enterprises of a permanent character such as libraries and the like”; and (3) that, in order to carry out the intent of the Joint Resolution of Congress, the Board was ready to receive the remitted funds from the United States Government.

Now, therefore, I, Calvin Coolidge, President of the United States of America, acting under and by virtue of the authority conferred upon me by the said Joint Resolution of Congress, do hereby make the following determination, order, rule and regulation:

The Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized and directed to remit to the said Board of Trustees of the China Foundation for the Promotion of Education and Culture, as the agent designated by the Chinese Government to receive the same, all payments of the annual installments of the Chinese indemnity made subsequent to October 1, 1917, under the bond received from China pursuant to the protocol of September 7, 1901, as modified by Executive Order on the 28th day of December, 1908, pursuant to the authority of the Joint Resolution of Congress, approved May 25, 1908, together with such further payments as may be made from time to time under the said bond, the remission of the payments to be for the purpose of further developing the educational and other cultural activities of China.

Calvin Coolidge

The White House ,
July 16, 1925.

36. Ibid., 1908, p. 65.
37. Foreign Relations, 1901, appendix (Affairs in China), p. 312.
38. Ibid., 1908, p. 72.
39. Ibid., 1924, vol. i, p. 555.
40. Not printed.
41. Note of June 6, 1925, not printed.