Papers relating to the foreign relations of the United States, 1929, Volume II

893.00P.R./22

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

Peking, July 15, 1929.
[Received August 16.]

No. 2206

Sir: In accordance with the Department’s instruction No. 78, of October 9, 1925,⁴⁶ I have the honor to submit the following summary, with index, of events and conditions in China during June, 1929.

Conditions generally were quiet during the month. In May, antagonism between General Chiang Kai-shek and Marshal Feng Yuhsiang, officially proclaimed and substantiated by troop movements on both sides, seemed to foreshadow an impending settlement of the issue between them by force of arms. Hostilities did not actually break out, however, and during June it became increasingly more probable that a peaceful solution of the matter could be reached. General Yen Hsi-shan is credited with having made possible such an adjustment, which was highly satisfactory to the Chinese people, by the proposal that he and Feng Yu-hsiang withdraw from the political arena and together take an extensive trip of study and investigation abroad. Wide publicity was given the project and, in view of Marshal Feng’s expressed preparedness to leave the country, the Government order for his arrest was cancelled and Nanking-inspired propaganda calculated to bring him into disrepute was discontinued. Yen Hsishan’s decision to retire from political life, however, was not as acceptable to the Central authorities or, more specifically, to General Chiang Kai-shek, who desired Yen’s presence at the head of affairs in North China for the sake of maintaining order in that area, and who also seemed to have felt that the departure of Feng and Yen together would react unfavorably on himself, as the one among the three leaders prepared to fight for his position and incapable of a similar act of renunciation in the interests of the country as a whole.

General Chiang arrived in Peking on June 25th with a view to entering into negotiations with Yen Hsi-shan and Feng Yu-hsiang (or with the latter’s representatives since it was doubtful if the Marshal himself would come to Peking), and with Marshal Chang Hsüeh-liang, discussions with whom on Manchurian and cognate questions at such a time incidentally would strengthen Chiang Kai-shek’s positions as, at least, the nominal head of the Government. Yen Hsi-shan arrived in Peking on June 30th from Taiyuanfu where he had been conferring with Marshal Feng, and Chang Hsueh-liang was expected to get here early in July. The period under review accordingly came to an end before a definitive conclusion was arrived at in these matters of great national moment.

As indicated in the Legation’s report for May, the remains of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the “Father of the Chinese Revolution”, were laid to rest on June 1st in the new Nanking mausoleum, without disturbing incident, in the presence of numerous high Chinese officials and foreign representatives.

The period of examination and registration at Nanking of trade marks, previously registered with the Bureau of Trade Marks, Peking, which was due to expire on June 18th, was extended for another six months, namely, until December 18, 1929.

Political Conferences

The second plenary conferences of the Central Executive Committee and of the Central Supervisory Committee were held in Nanking during the period under review. Questions concerning the execution of the program of national reconstruction were deliberated, and stress was laid upon the necessity of preserving the peace and unity of the country, of the abolition of unequal treaties, and of the training of citizens to exercise the four political powers of suffrage, recall, initiative, and referendum. A declaration, given out by the Central Executive Committee and translated at the Consulate in Nanking, outlined the general policy of the Kuomintang. The following are extracts from it:

1. Preservation of Unity The realization of the principles of our Party and the preservation of the unity of the entire country are entirely congenial. In order to render our recently attained unity permanent we must abide by the teachings of our late Leader, carry out a material program of National Reconstruction and improve both the spiritual and material condition of the country. …

2. Abolition of Unequal Treaties. The attainment for China of a status of equality and complete freedom in the family of nations is rudimental to the realization of the principles of the Party. So long as unequal treaties remain all constructive schemes, however well thought out they may be, will be of no avail, because while our political sovereignty remains impaired, we will be unable to exercise the fullest freedom of action in our National Reconstruction. …

3. District Autonomy. Training the people to exercise their political powers and enforcing the system of local self-government are the principal activities of the Political Tutelage Period. …

4. Limitation of Period of Political Tutelage. The present Conference has decided to limit the Period of Political Tutelage to six years, that is, to be completed not later than the 24th Year of the Republic (1935). … We hope the whole country will realize that, after all, the sole aim of the present Revolution is to complete the work of Political Tutelage and to establish a constitutional government by delegating the political powers to the people at large. …

Among other items of interest dealt with were the following:

1. A resolution was passed to seek peaceful means of settling the North China controversy. General Yen Hsi-shan was appointed officially a Special Commissioner to negotiate with Marshal Feng Yu-hsiang for a peaceful solution.

2. Minister Sun Fo’s railway construction proposals were approved, and the manifesto announces that “The Canton-Hankow Railway shall be completed by the end of 1932, the Lunghai Railway by the end of 1934, and the Kansu-Suiyuan Railway (this apparently refers to the extension of the Peking-Suiyuan Railway into Kansu) by the end of 1937”.

3. A bill outlining a program for a war against illiteracy and extension of the thousand character classes was passed.

4. The release of General Li Chai-sum, the South China leader who was put under surveillance at the outbreak of the Wuhan trouble in April [March], was approved, the question of restoring his status in the party to be considered at a later conference.

Sino-Foreign Treaty Relations

The exchange of notifications of ratifications of the Sino-Danish Treaty of Amity and Commerce of December 12, 1928, by the Danish and Chinese Governments, took place on June 8th. In accordance with the terms of Article V, the Treaty went into force on that date. Of the twelve treaties concluded with foreign Powers in 1928 by the Nanking Government only the Si no-Netherlands Treaty of December 19th and the Sino-Spanish Treaty of December 27th have not yet gone into force.

By way of recapitulation it may be stated that the following treaties went into effect on the dates indicated:⁴⁷

Sino-American Treaty of July 25th	June 20, 1929.
Sino-German Treaty of August 17th	Jan. 21, 1929.
Sino-Norwegian Treaty of November 11th [12th]	Mar. 1, 1929.
Sino-Belgian Treaty of November 22nd	Feb. 28, 1929.
Sino-Italian Treaty of November 27th	May 21, 1929.
Si no-Danish Treaty of December 12th	June 8, 1929.
Sino-Portuguese Treaty of December 19th	Mar. 27, 1929.
Sino-British Treaty of December 20th	Feb. 1, 1929.
Sino-Swedish Treaty of December 20th	Mar. 27, 1929.
Sino-French Treaty of December 22nd	Jan. 28 [Apr. 22], 1929.

Conditions in Eastern Shantung

In the Chefoo consular district the month passed quietly for a change. Notwithstanding persistent rumors of friction between General Liu Chen-nien and Sun Tien-ying, a Nationalist division commander, no actual hostilities took place. It is the Legation’s understanding that General Sun’s readiness to dispute Liu Chennien’s position in eastern Shantung has its origin in the fact that the Provincial authorities at Tsinan are inclined to support him rather than Liu Chen-nien. The Consul at Chefoo pointed out that the situation was a phase of the old game of playing one faction or leader off against another.

I have [etc.]

J. V. A. MacMurray

46. Not printed.
47. For texts of treaties listed, see League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. lxxxvii, pp. 287 (Belgium), 381 (Norway); vol. xc, p. 337 (Great Britain); vol. xci, pp. 93 (Germany), 207 (Denmark); vol. xcii, p. 267 (France); vol. xciii, p. 173 (Italy); and vol. cvii, pp. 81 (Sweden), 93 (Portugal), 121 (United States). The text of the Sino-American treaty is also printed in Foreign Relations, 1928, vol. ii, p. 475.