793.94/3516: Telegram
The Consul General at Nanking (Peck) to the Secretary of State
[Received January 14—10:20 a.m.]
11. 1. In compliance with his request I called on the Minister of Foreign Affairs at 5 o’clock p.m. He showed me a Reuter bulletin dated Tokyo January 13th to the general effect that Japanese official circles stated that the Department’s identic note of January 7th caused Eugene Chen to desist from tentative efforts to begin negotiations for the settlement of the Manchurian controversy. Chen characterized the statement as a lie and said he intended to publish an official denial. He said he could not have approached the Japanese Consul General in Shanghai as alleged for he had never seen him and knew nothing about him.
2. I expressed gratification at his denial to me that the note had interrupted efforts to open negotiations. Although I had no instructions to express any views on the subject I felt safe in saying that the American Government instead of wishing to discourage such efforts would regard them as a good thing. Chen said that an important conference [Page 31] would be held the same evening and that it was possible some way of beginning negotiations might be found.
Repeated to Legation.