893.51/5261
The Minister in China (Johnson) to
the Secretary of State
Peiping, April 15, 1930.
[Received May
22.]
No. 147
Sir: With reference to the Department’s
telegram No. 124, of April 8, 4 p.m., authorizing me to address a note
to the Minister for Foreign Affairs urging that some practical measure
be taken without further delay for the relief of American creditors, I
have the honor
[Page 591]
to enclose a
copy of my note No. 57, of April 12, 1930, to Dr. Wang in the
matter.
Let me add, with reference to paragraph two of my telegram No. 247, of
April 3, 9 p.m., that I have sent my British Colleague a copy of this
note.
I have [etc.]
[Enclosure]
The American Minister (Johnson) to the Chinese Minister for Foreign Affairs
(C. T.
Wang)
Peiping, April 12, 1930.
No. 57
Excellency: I have the honor to recall to
Your Excellency that Mr. MacMurray, my predecessor, in a note No.
680, of October 19, 1928,30 invited the attention of the National
Government to the continuing obligation resting on the Chinese
authorities to ensure the payment of sums due American creditors and
pointed out that Customs collections were the sole source of revenue
actually available for the satisfaction of a number of American
debts and other liquidated claims then in default. In replying to
this communication, Your Excellency, in a note of December 4,
1928,31 stated in part that Customs collections
were not the only source from which American loans and other claims
might be paid and that the Ministry of Finance would wait until
unsecured foreign loans had been given collective consideration and
would then stipulate a procedure by which they might be handled
individually.
I have the honor to state that considerably more than a year has
elapsed since the receipt of the communication above referred to and
that so far as I am informed no effective steps have been taken by
the National Government in the matter of the payment of defaulted
obligations to American creditors. On the other hand it is a matter
of common knowledge that the Customs and other national revenues
have been pledged by the National Government as security for new
loans.
My Government cannot but believe that the Chinese Government realizes
the desirability from every point of view of promptly meeting its
obligations to the American creditors concerned. I am now instructed
by my Government to ask that Your Excellency be so good as to inform
me in detail with regard to any plans which may have been decided
upon by Your Excellency’s Government and further to
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urge that Your Excellency’s Government
provide without further delay for the prompt safeguarding of the
American interests concerned.
I avail myself [etc.]
