793.003/403: Telegram
The Chargé in Great Britain (Atherton) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 30—11:40 a.m.]
206. Foreign Office has handed me following memorandum in reply to oral representations based on Department’s telegraphic instruction 214, August 21, 7 p.m., paragraph (5), and following:
“We agree with the State Department’s views with regard to the general political situation in China and we also agree that it is desirable to forestall any move on the part of the Chinese Government towards unilateral abolition of extraterritoriality by embarking on definite negotiations at an early date. We do not however anticipate that there will be any substantial change in the political situation in the immediate future and we doubt whether any risks that might be involved in resuming negotiations on the subject of extraterritoriality would be appreciably greater in September than in October or at any later date before the end of the year.
Lampson is definitely committed to resume the discussions in September and, after consulting Lampson, we are of opinion that it would be difficult to justify, vis-à-vis the Chinese Government, refusal to implement his repeated declarations to that effect. In these circumstances it seems to us that a greater risk would be involved in refusing to resume the discussions in September than in carrying out our original program. Lampson has arranged to leave for the south on September 5th, and it is anticipated that he will present the draft agreement for the abolition of extraterritoriality on or about the 8th of September.”