893.8007/28: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Chargé in China (Mayer)

[Paraphrase]

386. Legation’s 1004 of November 17, 7 p.m.

1.
In view of the failure of similar methods which the Department understands have been used by British authorities, the Department finds it difficult to believe that the proposed identic or joint note to Canton authorities in regard to piracies will be conducive of any good.
2.
Considering that there is a very real likelihood that the mere delivery of such a note will not, in itself, succeed in bringing about any effective action by the responsible Chinese authorities for the protection of foreign shipping against piracies in Chinese waters, it would seem that the real object of the proposed note is to signify to the Chinese the intention of the participating powers to serve notice thereby upon the Chinese that they are ready to cooperate in active military and naval action in order to bring an effective end to piracies in Chinese waters. In view of recent similar activities of British naval forces at Bias Bay, which activities appear by the way to have been ineffective in achieving the desired object, such a plan doubtless would involve the patrol of Chinese ports, the bombardment of towns and the landing of armed parties on occasions when specific American interests were not directly involved. Consequently, before undertaking to engage this Government to cooperate in such a plan, I desire more information concerning the situation.
3.
I desire, more particularly, that the commander in chief of the United States Asiatic Fleet advise as to whether, in his opinion, the present conditions are such as to warrant us in undertaking a general campaign of such a nature against pirates in cooperation with other powers, especially considering the fact that American vessels appear not to have suffered from such attacks. In case the commander in chief wishes to recommend any such cooperative action, it is desired that he report his plans, indicating along what lines he would regard cooperative naval action, under present conditions, advisable or useful.
4.
From the information available to the Department (see Legation’s despatch No. 2224, April 25, 1924; despatch No. 373, November 23, 1926, from the Hongkong consulate to the Department; as well as that consulate’s despatch No. 525, September 26, 1927),69 it would appear that the piracies being encountered along the Chinese coast are peculiar in that they are perpetrated by Chinese, in the guise of passengers, who board vessels while in port. Under these circumstances, [Page 335] the Department desires to know whether it would not be a more effective measure for the shipping companies to institute some means of scrutinizing Chinese passengers and their luggage than to wait until piracies occur and then to take punitive naval action along the coast of China.
5.
It is not desired that the Department be considered as lacking an interest in any proposal for coping with the question of piracies which are recognized as a common danger, but the method suggested by the Legation is fraught with such far-reaching consequences that the Department desires the above information before considering what methods, if any, insofar as the United States is concerned, should be adopted for dealing with the situation.
Kellogg
  1. None printed.