793.94/2985
Memorandum by the Secretary of State
The Japanese Ambassador came to tell me the following points:
- 1.
- That Tsitsihar was being systematically evacuated, and that at present there were left there only two battalions of Japanese troops aggregating less than 1,000 men, which were to be gradually withdrawn;
- 2.
- That the troops which had moved toward Chinchow were now coming back and would not be moved west of the Liao River unless some unexpected danger to Japanese nationals should come up;
- 3.
- That all firing in Tientsin had ceased since the afternoon of November 29th, and that the armed police who were responsible for it had been removed.
Then turning to the negotiations in Paris, the Ambassador said that there really should be no question of a neutral zone, because the Foreign Minister of China had asked the foreign observers to communicate to the Japanese Government China’s willingness to withdraw her troops from Chinchow in case the Japanese troops do not penetrate into the zone of Chinchow. He reminded me that this was the statement in the French text that he communicated to me the other day,24 and he said that on receiving this word the Japanese Government had at once replied25 that Japan was ready to agree not to penetrate the Chinchow zone in case China withdrew her troops west of the Wall and out of the zone.
The Ambassador reminded me that he had shown me this offer and answer the other day and said he thought that that settled it. I told him that I was not authorized to make any offer or enter into any negotiations but that I had reason to believe that if Japan was willing to permit neutral observers on the spot to definitely verify the fact that the Japanese troops had moved east of the Liao River, China would be willing to leave out of the resolution now being discussed at Paris, the time limit for evacuation, and I said if this was so it would greatly facilitate an agreement upon that resolution of the League Council.
The Ambassador then reverted to the Commission of Inquiry and said that Japan had originally suggested that there be representatives of Great Britain, France and America, but now that they had heard that Italy would like to have a representative and they had no objections to that. He then asked me whether we would consent to an American going on the Commission. I replied that if, and only if, Japan and China consented that an American should go, we would favorably consider having one go. He said he hoped that the Commission would be of high class. I told him we certainly would not try to send a second-class man and I said that I had considered the neutral commission as the most important part of the League Plan and, therefore, if an American was on that commission I should certainly try to get as good a one as possible.
The Ambassador then referred again to the negotiations going on in Paris and said that they were having a very ticklish time in Japan in their issue between the military and the civil authorities and that Baron Shidehara was obliged to make some suggestions of amendments to satisfy the military people, and he hoped we would understand [Page 598] that and if necessary that General Dawes would back up such amendments. I told him I was not conducting the negotiations but I thought they were being very well handled by M. Briand.