893.00/10025: Telegram
The Minister in China (MacMurray) to the Secretary of State
425. 1. At a meeting of the interested chiefs of mission this afternoon it was decided to send the following telegram to Marshals Chiang Kai-shek, Feng Yu-hsiang64 and Yen Hsi-shan65 and also for information to Tan Yen-kai66 of the Nationalist committee at Nanking:
“The diplomatic representatives of the foreign powers have the honor to draw the attention of the commanders of the Chinese armies which are approaching Peking to the fact that an interim period may occur during which the population of this city may remain without protection. They have learned that General Pao67 of the Fengtien army is staying at present in Peking with the sole object of maintaining peace and order, at the request of the committee of elder statesmen.
Without desiring to interfere in the least with any military movements in China the representatives of the powers, having in mind only the safety [of] foreign residents as well as of the population in general, would feel exceedingly gratified if the armies, commanded by Your Excellency, would leave the force of General Pao in Peking until the protection of the city can be taken over by the incoming troops, under some arrangement whereby provision could be made for General Pao’s men peacefully to withdraw.”
2. Release to press to be made locally at noon tomorrow, equivalent to June 4, 11 p.m. in Washington.
- Text printed from corrected copy received June 5.↩
- Military leader recently joining forces with the Nationalists.↩
- Commander in chief of Nationalist Revolutionary army in North China.↩
- Chairman, Nationalist Government Council, Nanking.↩
- Gen. Pao Yu-lin, commanding Forty-seventh Brigade under the Peking Government.↩