893.00 Nanking/242: Telegram

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

Your telegram of March 24, 6 p.m., through the Legation.

1.
Tentative agreement between British Minister and General Huang referred to in 1 (c) of your telegram was rejected by the British Government; and, after attempting for some days to find new basis of agreement, British Minister abandoned negotiations and left for Peking March 25th.
2.
Although considerable very useful preliminary work has been done by Cunningham and Paxton, the whole matter of a settlement still remains nebulous. Huang is now in Nanking, but I have reason to hope he will return shortly for the purpose of direct discussion with me.
3.
I shall continue to be guided by the Department’s desires in this matter as discussed with you last autumn and as referred to in your fourth [third?] paragraph.
4.
Repeated to Peking.
MacMurray