793.94/6039: Telegram
The Minister in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 14—4:45 a.m.]
246. 1. Minister for Foreign Affairs Lo Wen-kan arrived Peiping from Paotingfu March 13th and requested British Minister, French Minister and myself to visit him at the Foreign Office building at 10:30 last evening. Following is substance of statement which he made to us.
2. He denied emphatically current rumors that Chiang Kai-shek intended to institute direct negotiations with Japan, saying pointedly that China having referred matters to League and having urged League to reach decisions in the matter and having invited the United States to examine question in light of Nine-Power Treaty and Kellogg Pact, China could not now betray friends by compromising with Japan who had violated treaties and flouted world opinion.
3. He said that Suma, Secretary of Japanese Legation, had called upon him at Nanking a week or so ago and proposed negotiations, arguing that Japan and China were like man and wife, that trouble was one which concerned Asia and the Asiatics and did not concern [Page 235] outsiders. Lo said that he replied that negotiations would be quite easy provided Japan admitted error of ways, restored seized territory to China, apologized to China, her neighbor, for violation of territory and apologized to the world for violation of treaties solemnly entered into. He told Suma that as long as he was in office there could be no question of negotiations while Japanese soldiers were on Chinese soil.
4. Lo stated that Chiang Kai-shek was now in control, that General Ho Ying-chin had taken charge as his representative in control of the forces at the front, that Chiang would remain on railway with headquarters at Paotingfu and Shihchiachwang. He stated that General Huang Shao-hsiung, Minister of the Interior, had been made Chief of Staff and that Yen Hsi-shan was cooperating; that more troops were coming north from Hankow and that they were determined to resist further advances by the Japanese and would make an attempt to drive Japanese from Jehol although he admitted that they had no hope of defending the latter.