793.003/597: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Consul General at Nanking (Peck)
[Paraphrase]
Washington, April 15, 1931—5
p.m.
23. For Minister Johnson: Your April 10, 11 a.m., from Nanking.97
- (1)
- For the sake of giving both foreigners and Chinese a period of freedom from agitation regarding the extraterritorial question, and an opportunity for them to devote attention to other matters of importance, the Department believes the term of validity should be 10 years. It is believed that we have a strong argument to ask for such a term of validity, because it now appears that the Chinese will get in the new treaty almost everything they are seeking concerning the abolition of extraterritoriality.
- (2)
- As to the relative importance of Shanghai, Tientsin, Hankow, and Canton as reserved areas, the Department sees their importance in the above order, with Shanghai the most important, Canton the least. The views of the Department, therefore, are in accord on this question with your remarks to the British Minister.
Stimson