861.77 Chinese Eastern/779½
Memorandum by the Secretary of State
[Washington,] December 26, 1929.
The French Ambassador came to tell me what had happened when France handed to Russia the Rumanian note on the Sino-Russian affair. The note was in the same form as the American note to Russia and when M. Herbette, the French Ambassador, presented the note to Litvinov, Litvinov said he did not care to receive it. Herbette said it was his duty to present it and Litvinov then took it and tore it up.