893.00 Nanking/99
The British Ambassador (Howard) to the Secretary of State
Sir: I have the honour to refer to my note No. 268 of the 18th instant, informing you, on instructions from His Majesty’s Government, of their attitude with regard to the last sentence of the identic note which the Representatives at Peking of the Five Powers concerned had recommended to their respective Governments for presentation to Eugene Chen.
I now have the honour to inform you that His Majesty’s Government have informed their Representative at Peking that they approve the proposed terms of the identic note and authorise him to concert with the Representatives of the other Powers concerned in the presentation of joint or identic notes and in making any minor modifications required to secure an agreement.
His Majesty’s Government continue to assume that the Five Powers will insist on the fulfilment of the terms which all were agreed in presenting and consider that the character of sanctions to be applied in case of necessity can be separately discussed amongst them. At the same time, however, for the sake of maintaining united action amongst the Five Powers, His Majesty’s Government, for their part, are prepared either to accept the identic note in question with the omission of the last sentence, or as it stands, leaving aside for the present the question of the eventual application of sanctions.
I have [etc.]