893.012/27
The Secretary of State to the Consul General at Canton (Jenkins)
Sir: In reply to your despatch No. 1104 of April 7, 1928,70 respecting certain provisional regulations in regard to the status of Chinese who have a dual nationality and who, under the new regulations of the Chinese authorities at Canton, are required to submit certificates of expatriation issued by such authorities as a condition precedent to their applying for registration as citizens or subjects of a country other than China to which they owe allegiance, you are informed that when persons who owe allegiance to both China and the United States apply for registration or passports they should be encouraged to submit the certificate of expatriation referred to in the provisional regulations above mentioned. However, as there is no authority under the laws of the United States for requiring the obtention of a certificate of expatriation, you should not make it a condition that such a certificate be submitted by a person having both Chinese and American nationality who applies for registration or for a passport.
I am [etc.]
- Not printed.↩