793.94/3404
The Consul General at Nanking (Peck) to the Secretary of State
[Received January 4, 1932.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to my telegram No. 119 of December 8, 1931, reporting a conversation held by me with the Chinese Minister of Finance, Mr. T. V. Soong, on December 7, 1931, and to enclose herewith a Memorandum of that conversation.74
There is enclosed, likewise, a Memorandum of a conversation held on December 4, 1931, by Consul Paul W. Meyer with Dr. Loh Chialuen, Director of the Central Political Institute.74 Dr. Loh is a Kuomintang Party leader and his observations may be assumed to be based on a wide range of information.
Finally, in order to show that the views of Chinese leaders have been fairly consistent over a period of weeks and agree fairly well with each other, I enclose a Memorandum of a conversation held by me on October 6, 1931, with Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Frank W. Lee.74
The outstanding feature of the statements of these three Chinese officials seems to be a feeling that the net result of the connection of the United States with the controversy in regard to Manchuria has been unfavorable to China and favorable to Japan. The impression seems to be that the American Government tempered what might otherwise have been unsparing condemnation by the League of Nations of Japan’s military invasion of Manchuria, and that the United States has failed to take, with respect to Japan’s military measures, those steps which were to be expected of a sponsor of the Nine-Power Treaty and the Pact against War.
Whenever an opportunity has been presented, I have endeavored to modify this impression, but without great success. The Chinese seem to attribute to the League’s weakness the League’s failure to curb Japan in Manchuria; the United States, on the other hand, they regard as the most powerful nation in the world, and one quite capable of holding Japan to her international obligations, if this had been desired by the United States.
Respectfully yours,