793.94/4080: Telegram
The Minister in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
1. Reuter’s of February 8th carries what purports to be a statement by an official spokesman of the Japanese Foreign Office to the effect that Japanese diplomatic representatives have been instructed to sound out opinion in the various governments on behalf of what is termed a “moral program rather than political” having information which it is said the Japanese will lay before the International Conference for the settlement of the Shanghai affair. The message describes this scheme as being a proposal for “the establishment of demilitarized zones of between 15 to 20 miles width around the principal [Page 257] trading ports in China, notably Shanghai, Hankow, Tientsin, Canton and Tsingtau, while Manchuria should also be demilitarized though a portion of best disciplined Chinese forces should be utilized for policing purposes” and official spokesman is reported as saying quite frankly that such a proposal is contrary to the Nine-Power Treaty but that 10 years’ trial had proved ineffectiveness of the policy then laid down, and that the only policy that could result in benefit to Chinese as well as foreigners was a policy of intervention.
2. In my opinion the powers will do well to consider very carefully the effect that such a proposal will have in China before permitting it even to be understood that they are giving consideration to the proposal itself.
The situation of Americans in China would be dangerous in the extreme should the Chinese Army get it into their heads that we were assisting the Japanese in their attacks upon it. I feel certain that the time is ripe for another disaster similar to the Boxer uprising unless we walk carefully with these sorely exasperated people. And I therefore hope that the United States Government will meet this sinister attempt to involve us all in the debacle which the Japanese have created for themselves with a statement in favor of upholding the principles and policies of the Nine-Power Treaty.
3. It is my own opinion that a proposal such as this for the demilitarization of areas around the great ports of China is absurd unless the country that offers it intends to maintain garrisons at each such port sufficient to maintain the demilitarized character of that port against the attempts of the Chinese military to get in. The Japanese are giving the world today an example of what it is costing to demilitarize the one port of Shanghai. Let it be considered at what cost the same may be accomplished at Hankow and Tientsin.
4. I maintain that this is no fight of ours and we should do what we can to stay out of it. Nevertheless, the fact should not be ignored that if the Japanese persist in a policy of force based upon their contention that China is an unorganized state and a geographical name no Chinese Government can maintain its existence, the Japanese contention will be realized and American citizens in China and their interests must suffer in the general chaos as they did in 1900. I heard last night that the Japanese have refused to consider a neutral zone at Shanghai in discussions going on there and are now insisting on a demilitarized area at Shanghai.
- Telegram in two sections.↩