Office of the Historian

711.93/127: Telegram

The Minister in China (MacMurray) to the Secretary of State

Peking, February 10, 1927—noon.
[Received February 10—9 a.m.]

128. Your 28, January 25, 8 a.m. [p.m.]

1.
Following is the gist of impressions made upon foreign and Chinese opinion in China by the American Government’s statement of policy concerning China as reported by following consulates:
2.
Shanghai: Chinese reaction appears to be that statement presents nothing new or concrete except that America is willing to negotiate alone if necessary and apparently does not associate itself with the British military threat to China. Foreign comment generally is that statement presents nothing new permanently.
3.
Hankow: Statement did not evoke wide comment. General feeling among Americans is that the statement is clear and opportune and will serve useful purpose in again reminding the Chinese people of the desire of America to help them out of their difficulties. The Chinese press has devoted little space to it.
4.
Nanking: Americans in general approve, although businessmen view any yielding with great apprehension. Chinese mildly approve but are too anxious concerning immediate domestic dangers to give the announcement much attention.
5.
Mukden: Statement apparently well received. Chinese acclaim it as an encouragement and as giving them new hope. Japanese journalists regard it as a clever and cunning statement. Other foreigners lukewarm.
6.
Canton: No journalistic comment obtainable by reason of suspension of newspapers during the new year.
7.
English language newspaper comment in this northern section may be summarized as follows: North China Star considers statement as reasonable and just. Secretary Kellogg offers China chance and the Chinese should grab it. Let’s have “another Washington conference between China and the United States.” North China Standard remarks that the principal thing about the statement is there is nothing new in it, and no offer made that the other powers have not previously tendered. Far Eastern Times statement, after a careful perusal of the statement, it fails to find anything extraordinary “since it is stated that the United States is prepared to negotiate new treaties with China to replace the old ones. We fail to understand why she does not automatically propose negotiations with our Government.” Peking and Tientsin Times remarks that it says nothing—absolutely nothing—and is a prolix but common-sense expose of the difficulties of the position in China. The statement is taken as an indication that the State Department does not intend to surrender vital American rights until it is satisfied that there is some competent authority to whom to surrender them. This paper is also gratified to find that in Great Britain and in Japan the statement appears to be regarded as supporting diametrically opposed policies of the British and Japanese Governments, respectively.
8.
Thus far only one Peking Chinese newspaper has commented on the statement, Chen Poo, which characterizes the statement as one of empty words and searches in vain for any new ideas in the whole document.
9.
No particular interest seems to have been aroused among such officials as I have seen with the exception of Kuomintang representative taking refuge in the Legation quarter, who while acknowledging it was intended as a friendly gesture, called it vague and contrasted it pointedly with the concreteness of the recent British proposals.
MacMurray