893.00/7662: Telegram
The Chargé in China (Mayer) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 21—5:11 p.m.]
423. My 422, September 21, 4 p.m., paragraph No. 4. The following telegram has been sent to American consul general at Canton:
“Urgent. September 21, 5 p.m.
1. The American consul general at Hankow has informed me of the receipt of a notice from the Commissioner for Foreign Affairs there forbidding the navigation of the Yangtze from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in the so-called Hankow-Wuchang-Hanyang war zone and that all vessels will be fired upon by artillery if they fail to stop on signal for search at certain designated places during daylight hours. The Commissioner for Foreign Affairs has likewise sent Mr. Lockhart the following letter dated September 18:
‘It is urgent that the military operations at Wuchang and Hankow should be settled. I am now in receipt of an instruction from the commander in chief of the National Revolutionary Army directing me to circularize the gunboats of the various countries promptly to sail down river to a comparatively distant place and not to anchor in the river in the vicinity of the war zone at Wuhan in order to avoid danger and to prevent misunderstanding.
Aside from notifying other parties concerned thereof I beg to request that you in turn notify the various (American) gunboats to act accordingly.’
I have instructed Mr. Lockhart to reply to the Commissioner of Foreign Affairs to the following effect:
‘You should therefore reply to the Commissioner of Foreign Affairs to the following general effect: that the Government of the United States considers extremely drastic the regulations concerning the navigation of the Yangtze from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. in the so-called war zone and those concerning search at certain places during the daylight hours on penalty of artillery fire if there is a failure to stop on signal, which are contrary to treaty provisions, but is willing, with due reservation of the treaty rights involved and as a purely temporary measure, not to prevent commercial vessels flying the American flag to comply [from complying?] with these regulations, should they so desire. On the other hand, the American Government will not direct its war vessels to comply with the above regulations, and more especially with the circular from the commander in chief of the so-called National Revolutionary Army requesting such vessels promptly to sail down river to a comparatively distant place, and not to anchor in the vicinity of the war zone at Wuhan, in order to prevent danger and avoid misunderstanding. The Government of the United States desires to bring immediately and forcibly to the attention of all the Chinese authorities concerned their grave responsibility should any untoward incident arise from an effort to put these regulations into effect, with which it is obviously impossible for American men-of-war to comply.’
I have also informed the consul general at Hankow that I believe it advisable after consulting with Admiral Hough that if the latter so agrees he should tell the local military authorities that our war vessels will endeavor to comply with the restrictions on navigation during the night, when practicable, but should emergency arise they must disregard this regulation.
2. You should immediately communicate to the Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs the attitude we have necessarily adopted vis-à-vis these regulations as evidenced by my instructions to Lockhart, which you may give in substance to Chen.31 You should then protest vigorously against these regulations, leaving an aide-mémoire stressing their drastic nature as regards commercial ships and the impossibility of compliance therewith in respect of our war vessels and request that Chen telegraph at once to the military authorities to cancel or at least radically revise the regulations in question. Invite his particular attention to the temporary concession we have made regarding our commercial ships and the effort which our naval authorities will undoubtedly make to comply with restrictions on navigation during the night.
3. At the same time please express forcibly verbally to the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs my astonishment that these regulations should have been issued, particularly those requiring the visit and search of our war vessels and the request that our warships leave the Hankow area, which appear of an entirely provocative character since obviously we could not be expected to comply therewith.”
- Eugene Chen, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Canton Government.↩