122.352/57
The Minister in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 22.]
Sir: Referring to the Department’s instruction No. 124, of May 27, 1930, and to previous correspondence with respect to the proposal of the Chinese Government that henceforth requests be made for the issuance of exequaturs to consular officers in China, I have the honor to inform the Department that, in accordance with this instruction, the Legation has continued to follow its former procedure of merely notifying the Chinese authorities of the appointment of American consular officers. Although the Legation has completely ignored the receipt of foreign office note No. L–801, of September 23, 1929,8 a copy of which was forwarded to the Department with the Legation’s despatch No. 2462 of December 5, 1929, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, [Page 634] of its own accord, has forwarded to the Legation exequaturs for Messrs. Myers, Stevens, Meinhardt, and Ballantine, with covering notes. There is enclosed herewith a copy of my note No. 118, July 23, 1930,9 as well as a copy, in translation, of Foreign Office note No. L–137, August 14, 1930, with respect to the assignment of Mr. Joseph W. Ballantine as Consul General at Canton. The Department will observe that in forwarding Mr. Ballantine’s exequatur the Minister for Foreign Affairs states that “I have not failed to note the above, and have submitted a request to the Chairman of the National Government for the issuance of an exe quatur for the above-named Consul General in order to enable him to perform his duties.”
Pending further instructions from the Department upon the matter, the Legation will refrain from acknowledging the receipt of these exequaturs, which will be retained in the files of the Legation.
Respectfully yours,
Counselor of Legation