693.002 Manchuria/3: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chargé in Great Britain (Atherton)
88. 1. Minister Johnson telegraphs from Shanghai under date of March 10,86 that he has been informed by the Inspector General of Customs that the latter has received a telegram from Antung, Manchuria, to the effect that the superintendent there had received instructions from the Northeast Administrative Committee that customs are to be under its control and that the superintendent is to carry on but with a Japanese adviser. In commenting on the foregoing, the Inspector General informed Johnson that the new Manchurian government apparently intends to assume full control of Manchurian customs, that no mention was made of loan services secured on maritime customs revenue and that the new system presumably has approval of the Japanese authorities as it is being introduced with Japanese assistance.
Please call at the Foreign Office and ascertain (a) whether they have similar information and (b) whether in the event of such attempts being made, they would be willing to join in concurrent action in the form of objections and reservations to be filed simultaneously by the British and American representatives at Tokyo and Nanking and by their consular offices in Manchuria.
Please indicate to the Foreign Office that such objections and reservations appear to this Government to be quite in line with the provisions of the draft of the resolution which is pending before the Assembly in relation to the question of non-recognition and which we understand is favored by Sir John Simon at Geneva. Please also state that in addition the action proposed appears to follow logically from Article 2 of the Nine-Power Treaty of February 6, 1922, reading as follows:
“Article 2. The contracting powers agree not to enter into any treaty, agreement, arrangement, or understanding, either with one another, or, individually or collectively, with any power or powers, which would infringe or impair the principles stated in Article 1.”
In our opinion this Covenant would forbid the Japanese to institute or instigate an independent customs administration in Manchuria and would forbid us or any of the other fourteen signatories of the Treaty from recognizing either of such services if instituted.
2. Telegraph reply.
3. I am repeating this to Wilson at Geneva for communication to Sir John Simon. You may so inform the Foreign Office.
- Telegram not printed.↩