793.94 Shanghai Round Table/41: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in China (Johnson)
Washington, July 25, 1932—5
p.m.
224. Your 752, June 30, noon, and Shanghai’s despatch No. 7224, of June 3, to the Legation,10 in regard to a round table conference at Shanghai.
[Page 183]- 1.
- The Department concurs in your views as stated in the last paragraph of the telegram under reference. In addition, the Department feels that any efforts devoted at this time to a round table conference at Shanghai would divert attention from the major problems involved in the present Sino-Japanese controversy, something which is not desirable, and that, if such a conference should succeed in negotiating a new agreement for the International Settlement and concomitant problems, such an arrangement would always have attached to it, in the minds of the Chinese, a certain amount of odium as having been obtained as a result, direct or related, of Japanese military activities.
- 2.
- The Department notes from Shanghai’s despatch of June 3 that the
Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce in requesting that a round
table conference be held, refers specifically to three problems
outstanding at Shanghai in regard to which the Department comments
as follows:
- (a)
- The special district court. This question has heretofore been handled as a separate problem and the Department prefers that effort be made to continue to handle it in that manner. Shanghai in its despatch No. 8327, June 10, to the Department,11 a copy of which appears to have been sent to the Legation, has reported in detail in regard to certain objections to the manner in which the special district court has functioned. However, in spite of these objections the Department believes that the wisest policy would be to seek to bring about by mutual consent the extension of the present agreement as provided in Article 10 of that agreement. The Department feels, therefore, that the interested Ministers at Peiping and the interested Consuls General at Shanghai should soon begin to give attention to this problem in order that a uniform policy may be agreed upon and an effort made to conclude, before the expiration of the present agreement, a satisfactory arrangement with regard to the Chinese courts in the International Settlement.
- (b)
- Extra-Settlement roads. The Department understands (see Shanghai’s despatch No. 8326 of June 11, to the Department,12 a copy of which appears to have been sent to the Legation) that this problem is in the course of a settlement satisfactory both to the authorities of the International Settlement and to the Chinese Municipality of Greater Shanghai. The Department, therefore, sees no need to interfere with the method that is being followed to work out a solution of this problem, such as would be involved in transferring consideration of it to a round table conference as proposed by the Shanghai General Chamber of Commerce.
- (c)
- Presence of armed forces in and around the Shanghai area. While this problem is one of importance, the Department believes that it is too closely related to the recent Japanese military operations to permit of any successful discussion aside and apart from other outstanding issues in the present Sino-Japanese controversy wherein there are involved or affected multilateral rights and interests. The [Page 184] Department believes, therefore, that a more opportune time must be awaited to discuss this problem.
- 3.
- If, therefore, the question of a round table conference comes up for discussion in the Diplomatic Body, you should be guided by the above in your discussions with your colleagues and in your preparations of instructions to Shanghai. Please keep the Department fully informed in regard to developments, particularly in regard to contrary views that may be held by your colleagues.
- 4.
- Also in connection with this matter, see Department’s telegrams to Tokyo 119, May 25, 5 p.m. and 122, June 1, 6 p.m. which the Department instructed Tokyo to repeat to Peiping.
- 5.
- Inform Tokyo by mail and send Tokyo copy of Shanghai’s despatch No. 7224 of June 3 entitled “Round Table Conference at Shanghai.”
Stimson