893.102 Kulangsu/118
The Acting Secretary of State to the Minister in China (Johnson)
Sir: The Department has received your confidential despatch No. 1612 of July 6, 1932,73 reporting that in the course of a conversation on May 1, 1932, in Shanghai, with the British Minister, he informed you that his Government had authorized him some time ago to negotiate with the Chinese authorities for the rendition of the International Settlement at Kulangsu.
The Department assumes that, as the International Settlement at Kulangsu is of direct interest to and involves the rights of all the foreign governments party to the agreement establishing the Settlement, the representative of none of those governments would initiate with the Chinese authorities discussion of the question of rendition of the Settlement without prior consultation with the representatives of the other interested governments. The Department would not, of course, desire that this Government be placed in the position of obstructing the successful conclusion of negotiations for the rendition of the Settlement at Kulangsu but believes that it would be [Page 527] advisable for the diplomatic representatives in China of the most interested powers to give careful thought to all the factors involved in the situation before initiating any discussion of the matter with the Chinese authorities.
You will, of course, feel free to discuss this whole question discreetly and on appropriate occasions with your most interested colleagues, keeping the Department fully and promptly informed of any developments and communicating your views as to the most appropriate and practicable course for this Government to adopt.
Very truly yours,
- Not printed.↩