793.94/1876c: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in China ( Johnson )
341. For your personal information, I want to give you, with regard to your various telegrams concerning the trouble in Manchuria, a picture of the policy of the Department.
The Department, as already reported, is completely sympathetic with the action of sending identic notes to Japan and China already taken by the League of Nations. However, the idea of sending a military commission to Manchuria to establish the facts disturbed us. At the time of the dispute between Bulgaria and Greece this was done by the League with success. Entirely different, however, are the conditions in the Manchurian situation. The issue in the Bulgarian-Greek dispute was a line dividing the two countries. In Manchuria, since the Japanese troops are in that section of China under treaty provisions, no such issue arises. Moreover, even as a fact-finding body, the Department has felt very strongly that a commission sent to Manchuria could have little success without the consent of both the Chinese and Japanese. That the Japanese nationalistic element would be immensely strengthened and that it would unite Japan behind the military element, is our principal fear concerning such an imposed commission. The civilian arm of the Government in Japan, we believe, is opposed to the adventure in Manchuria, and the Department feels it is important in every way to support this element. It was our suggestion to Geneva, therefore, that there was a greater possibility of obtaining the consent of Japan if the composition of the commission to be appointed were to be along the lines of our suggestion of two years ago to China and Russia. In other words, the commission should be one appointed by both parties involved in the dispute. The League has adopted this suggestion and, if Japan accepts, at present intends to establish a commission consisting of two members appointed by Japan, two by China, and three by the League Council. This commission we understand would be purely fact finding and have very narrow terms of reference. However, if it can be brought about between the Japanese and Chinese, we believe there is a much greater chance of reaching a solution—in view of Oriental psychology—by direct consultation. The Department feels at the same time that inevitably the dispute is of interest to the world, and that it would make a travesty of the various treaties of which Japan and China are both signatories to allow Japan to consolidate the occupation of the Manchurian cities. Since in this matter the League [Page 11] has already taken action and since as members of the League both parties have agreed to submit to the action therein provided, this Government would be inclined to favor, in case direct conversations are unsuccessful between the two parties, action under article 11 and subsequent articles of the League Covenant signed by both Japan and China.
The treaties of 1922 and the Kellogg Pact still remain and might be invoked in case this action should be unsuccessful. The above is, in general, the line we intend to take. Any comments or further suggestions you wish to make would be welcomed.
Please repeat this telegram to Tokyo as No. 169.