Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, 1926, Volume I

500.A4e/646

The Consul General at Canton ( Jenkins ) to the Minister in China ( MacMurray )¹⁹

Canton , July 31, 1926 .

No. 499

Sir: I have the honor to transmit the enclosed declaration by the Kuomintang against the resumption of the Tariff Conference¹⁸ which it is believed will be of interest to the Legation. It will be observed that the Kuomintang openly charges Great Britain and Japan with giving assistance to certain so-called militaristic factions. Reference is also made to “the participation of the American Democracy”. On page 5 (near the top), the declaration goes on to express the hope that the nations involved do not know what their representatives in Peking are planning to do “and that particularly the people of the United States of America are ignorant of it.”

There is now considerable agitation in Canton against the resumption of the Tariff Conference, including processions and mass meetings with speeches by political leaders. It is evident that the Government is doing what it can to stir up popular resentment against the Conference with a view to strengthening as far as possible its formal protests.

I have [etc.]

Douglas Jenkins

19. Copy transmitted to the Department by the consul general as an enclosure to his despatch No. 615, July 31; received Sept. 3.
18. Not printed.