893.1281/30: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in China (Johnson)
198. Your 309, June 3, 1 p.m. As stated in the Department’s instruction No. 129, of June 5, 1930, the Department considers that American citizens practicing medicine and surgery in China are subject to the jurisdiction of American laws and courts and cannot therefore be required to conform to Chinese regulations which would subject them to control by Chinese authorities.
However, in the absence of laws or regulations of the United States specifically applicable to American practitioners of medicine and surgery in China, it appears desirable to cooperate as fully as possible with the Chinese authorities in efforts to establish reasonable regulations on the subject. The Department therefore considers that American consular officers may properly comply with the request for the issuance of consular certificates describing the diplomas and medical certificates held by applicants and that the Chinese authorities and American citizens concerned should be advised, if and when the question [Page 1012] arises, of this Government’s desire to cooperate in the enforcement of the regulations, subject to the understanding that jurisdiction over American citizens in China must be retained by the appropriate American officials.