893.00/11971: Telegram
The Consul at Amoy (Franklin) to the Secretary of State
[Received 7:13 p.m.]
Following sent to Legation.
Referring to your telegram of May 17, 7 p.m., transmitting paraphrase of the Department’s 125, May 16, 8 p.m., following sentences excerpts from consular meeting minutes today which meeting was attended by senior naval officers and President of the Municipal Council and Acting Chief of Police:
“Japanese Consul authorized to land forces if all powers concerned are willing to cooperate.”
“British Consul received a telegram April 24th from his Minister which said that should a real attack threaten Kulangsu he agreed, with the concurrence of the Commander in Chief, to the defense of Kulangsu provided American cooperation assured. British Consul on May 16th telegraphed for authority to land in cooperation with French and Japanese only in the event of American authorities still being unable to agree. He has telegraphed again to his Minister informing him of authority now given to American forces and stating it is his firm belief that they should land forces now.”
I informed my colleagues that if a feeling of security at this time will result if armed forces are landed, and [if they? ] plan to discourage any impending attack, our forces are now prepared to do so in cooperative plan.
We, the consular body, consider the present situation warrants the landing of forces in complete cooperation when the British Consul receives necessary authority as we believe such action will be instrumental in creating a feeling of security at this time and will tend to discourage any impending attack. It was the general opinion at the meeting that the situation was more acute than 2 weeks ago but it is my opinion that it has not changed since May 3rd.
I understand that my Government now considers it more important to assist in presenting a united front to possible active communistic menace and that the policy of cooperation overshadows the question [Page 515] of landing armed forces only for evacuation purposes or as a preventive measure.
If the Department’s instruction to which I refer had not been received, the consular body at Amoy would probably never have known that the British senior naval officers and Consul did not have the instructions we were led to believe they had and which were referred to in my telegram May 2, 9 a.m.,57 and my May 3, 1 a.m. By way of explanation the British Consul stated at the consular body meeting this morning that he and the senior British naval officers assumed on May 1st, last that they would receive instructions to land armed forces if the American armed forces were authorized to land.
It is generally felt amongst my colleagues that the landing of such armed forces would make this settlement a zone of safety against communistic menace. I have been unable to obtain assurances from my colleagues as to what they might consider a suitable time for withdrawal of armed forces should they be landed.
Repeated to Department.
- Not printed.↩