[Enclosure]
The American Legation
to the Chinese Ministry for Foreign
Affairs
Aide-Mémoire
The American Legation refers to the Legation’s notes No. 249, of
February 5, No. 282, of April 17, No. 283, of April 18, 1931,68 and to other
communications in the past few years, bringing to the attention of
the Chinese Government the repeated occupation and violation of
American mission property in various parts of China by armed forces
of the National Government itself or of the several provinces and
their subdivisions. Upon occasion the Legation has also had to
protest against the usurpation of American mission property by
Government school organizations and by party organs of the
Kuomintang.
The question seems generally to have been perfunctorily referred to
local officials, where the matter appears to rest without any
efforts being made to remedy the situation. Usually, as indicated in
the Legation’s note No. 283, of April 18, 1931, the troops occupying
mission property remain until ordered to a different locality, and
only too frequently the property is promptly reentered and
reoccupied by different organizations.
From time to time the Legation has procured through the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs proclamations issued by the Minister of Military
Administration, forbidding under pain of severe punishment all
troops to occupy mission properties, schools, and hospitals. In the
majority of cases, the Mission properties are placarded, in addition
to these proclamations of the Minister of Military Administration,
with similar notifications issued by the provincial and military
authorities. These proclamations are almost uniformly ignored by the
troops. In many cases military units even deliberately occupy
mission property bearing at the gate a proclamation issued by the
divisional commander of the occupying unit. In another instance
recently reported, the property of the American Church Mission at
Yochow, Hunan, was occupied by the Wireless Corps of the 10th Army
(48th Division) despite the fact that there was posted on the
property a proclamation
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issued in the name of Commander-in-Chief Chiang Kai-shek. When this
was brought to the attention of the Wireless Corps they replied that
since Chiang Kai-shek was not in direct command of them they could
not obey his orders.
Aside from the inconvenience suffered by missionary organizations
whose property is occupied, however briefly, by Chinese troops,
resulting in a hampering and interruption of their work, it should
be clearly understood that the financial loss and damage sustained
amounts to a considerable figure in each instance, and the sum
representing the total loss and damages incurred by American
missionary organizations during the past three years through theft,
looting, and pilferage, and wanton damage and destruction on the
part of the armed forces of the Republic of China, is surprisingly
large. In addition to tearing out wooden fixtures, including even
door and window frames, and fouling and blocking up wells, Chinese
troops carry away in daylight, under the eyes of the missionaries,
benches, tables, and chairs and other movable property. A list is
appended hereto69
setting forth the conditions attending the occupation of certain
individual pieces of mission property.
The Government of China has repeatedly announced that it desires and
is able to accord protection to foreign property in the interior.
The Legation finds it difficult to reconcile the continued existence
of the conditions briefly described above with this statement,
especially since the depredations reported have without exception
been committed by the very agents entrusted with such
protection.
The Legation therefore requests of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs a
statement in some detail setting forth the steps which have been or
are being taken to accord protection to American property in at
least those regions of the interior of China which are obviously
under the effective control of the National Government.
