793.00/194: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in China (MacMurray)
[Paraphrase]
Washington, January 8,
1928—5 p.m.
2. Your telegram No. 1137, December 31, 1 p.m.
- 1.
- Referring to the first paragraph. It is not considered advisable by the Department that any commitment be entered into which purports to bind the Government of the United States in advance in regard to the action which will be taken by it or the phraseology it will use in the event that it is confronted with the action of any Chinese regime in denouncing a treaty between the United States and China.
- 2.
- Referring to your third paragraph. As to the effectiveness of identic protests by all the powers in the case of treaty denunciation by the Peking or any other Chinese regime it does not seem that optimism is justified, considering the experience gained during the so-called “gold-franc controversy” between the Chinese and French Governments.98 Although the Department is not disposed to object to your exerting your influence, informally and unofficially, in an appropriate case in opposition to an improper denunciation, any such action on your part must reserve, in each instance, the liberty of action of this Government.
Kellogg