793.003/444½
Memorandum by the Chief of the Division of Far Eastern Affairs (Hornbeck)
The Chinese Minister70 called by appointment.
Mr. Hornbeck stated that he was now in position to resume the conversations which had been suspended during the absence of the Minister on the subject of extraterritorial jurisdiction in China. He said that the Department had ready a draft of proposals; that he was prepared, if the Minister wished to receive it at this time, to hand over a copy of the draft; that it was the expectation of the Department that the American Minister to China would be in Nanking during the first week in November; that we felt that it would facilitate matters to have him (Mr. Johnson) hand to the Minister of Foreign Affairs a copy of our draft; that it might seem desirable from some points of view to have the handing over of drafts made simultaneous; but that if the Minister (Dr. Wu) would prefer to receive a copy now, a copy could be given him. Mr. Hornbeck continued to the effect that we were informed that the Kuomin Party was to hold a convention at Nanking, beginning on November 12; that he could not but wonder whether the Government would be preoccupied with domestic political questions and might prefer not to give at this time consideration to such a problem as that of extraterritoriality. We would be willing to be guided by the views, if he chose to express them, of Dr. Wu.
Dr. Wu said that he did not think that the question of the coming convention or the convention itself would very much affect the work of the Foreign Office. He said that the news of course had been disseminated in China that the American Government expected to make proposals during the month of October. He said that the Chinese Government would probably be asked, not later at least than the opening of the convention, whether the proposals had been received, and if not, why. He said that it seemed to him best to get forward with the matter and he felt that we might give him the proposals now, with the understanding that it was our intention to give them, through Mr. Johnson, to Dr. Wang after Mr. Johnson’s arrival at Shanghai or Nanking. He said that he would not want to take the trouble or go to the expense of telegraphing the text in case it was understood that we would deliver a text in China.
Mr. Hornbeck thereupon handed Dr. Wu two copies, dated October 28, of the draft.71
[Page 472]Dr. Wu glanced through a copy and remarked that it was a lengthy document. He said that he was glad that he would not have to telegraph it. He said that he would telegraph his Government that he had received the draft and that it was lengthy and that he would not telegraph the text and that a text would be given to the Minister of Foreign Affairs by the American Minister probably during the first week in November.
The discussion of this subject there ended.