893.00/8611: Telegram
The Minister in China (MacMurray) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 7—3:20 a.m.]
366. 1. Competent Chinese local authorities having yesterday requested permission to enter the diplomatic quarter in order to make [Page 317] a search of certain private properties (of the Dal Bank and the Chinese Eastern Railway) adjacent on the west to the Soviet Embassy on the ground that these places were known to be headquarters of subversive Soviet agitation, Senior Minister gave the necessary authorization in behalf of diplomatic quarter and a raid upon these premises by members of the metropolitan police force and by a small body of supporting troops was commenced shortly after 11 yesterday morning. In the course of it the Chinese went beyond their authorization and raided also compound of the former Russian Legation guard lying westward of the private properties in question. Except that 4 Russians barricaded themselves in a house with a view to defending themselves with a machine gun and revolvers and set fire to various papers and to the house itself but were eventually overpowered without their using their weapons, there was no fighting whatever and no serious injury sustained on either side. Considerable numbers of Russians were observed to escape over the wall into the property of the Russian Embassy in the grounds of which they later appeared heavily armed evidently with a view to repelling possible raid there. So far as can be ascertained, thus far approximately 20 Russians have been arrested and about 30 Chinese including prominent Communist, Li Tav-chu [Li Ta-ehao?], Considerable quantities of propaganda and various documents have been seized. A machine gun, about 30 rifles and a large but unknown quantity of revolvers all with ammunition have been found by the Chinese, as also a tremendous number of Kuomintang flags, Soviet flags with Chinese inscriptions and banners for demonstration purposes. Search of the premises is still being carried on.
2. Senior Minister proposes to enter without delay a protest to the Chinese authorities against entering former guard compound which was not included in his authorization.