793.003/86
The British Ambassador (Howard) to the Secretary of State
Sir: I did not fail to transmit to my Government a copy of the aide memoire regarding the attitude of the United States Government to the question of the revision of their treaty relations with China, with particular reference to the question of extraterritorial rights, which you were so good as to hand to me on the 22nd ultimo, and I now have the honour, under instructions from His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, to thank you for that courteous communication.
With regard to the enquiry contained in the concluding paragraph of the abovementioned aide memoire, as to the views of His Majesty’s Government with regard to the revision of treaties with China, I am to inform you that the verbal communication which I had the honour to make to you on November 22nd and to confirm in the aide memoire enclosed in my letter of that date, express very fully the views held by His Majesty’s Government on that question. In these circumstances His Majesty’s Government feel that they have no further observations which they can usefully make at the present juncture.
I have [etc.]