Office of the Historian

893.00/7402: Telegram

The Minister in China (MacMurray) to the Secretary of State

Peking, May 18, 1926—6 p.m.
[Received May 18—11:17 a.m.]

214. My 208, May 14, 7 p.m.

1.
On May 15 Yen addressed an identic note to the Legations stating that Alfred Sze had been appointed by Presidential mandate Minister for Foreign Affairs and that pending his arrival Yen himself was appointed temporarily concurrently Acting Minister. This morning the Legations received a second identic note dated May 15 but actually written on the evening of May 17. The second note was prompted by remarks made to Yen by the Senior Minister. It recalled that President Tsao was prevented, by political changes on October 23, 1924, from further carrying out the duties of his office and that Tuan thereupon temporarily administered Government, vacating his office in April last. The note continues that President Tsao had issued a circular telegram on May 1 last, turning over the duties of the Presidential office to be administered by the Cabinet as provided by law. After reporting widespread insistence, the note states that the Cabinet on May 13 entered upon the performance of the functions of the President’s office as aforesaid. The hope was expressed that since the present governing Cabinet had been constituted in due legal continuity, foreign relations would be consolidated [sic] and the present international conferences prove successful.
2.
At a meeting of the interested Ministers this afternoon it was decided to acknowledge receipt of the first note severally in third-person communications but to wait until a cabinet under Yen actually assumes office before dealing with that administration in any other routine matters; in the meantime the Senior Minister is to intimate to Yen that in any case his government would be expected to assume explicitly the existing treaty and other international obligations of the Chinese Government.
MacMurray