793.94 Advisory Committee/40: Telegram
The Chargé in Great Britain (Atherton) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 4—2:15 p.m.]
99. Foreign Office said this afternoon that the British representative at Geneva had been instructed to bring before the Advisory Committee on the Sino-Japanese conflict the question of recognition of import licenses for opium issued by Manchukuo Government. He said that his Government might see the possibility that such recognition might be construed in certain quarters as recognition Manchukuo, but that it is impressed by the possibility that refusal by narcotic exporting countries to recognize Manchukuo import licenses would tend to drive the opium traffic under ground but, in view of difficulties which might arise during transit of opium shipments to Manchukuo, he believed that it would be desirable to obtain uniform practice.
With regard to reports indicating mediation by Lampson between Chinese and Japanese, he said that the genesis of recent developments in Peiping was a remark made to Lampson by the Japanese Chargé d’Affaires to the effect that Lampson was the only person who would be acceptable as mediator. On the following day Lamp-son received a visit from a prominent Chinese in the confidence of Chiang Kai-shek who expressed the desirability of Lampson using his good offices to bring an end to the hostilities. Lampson next received a letter from Lo Wen-kan, who was then ill in a hospital in Nanking, expressing substantially the same hope. In view of these two messages Lampson sent word to Wang Ching-wei to the effect that if the Chinese were able to state precisely what they wanted Lampson would consider the possibility of mediating with the Japanese. Thereupon Lo Wen-kan informed Lampson that his letter was not a request for mediation but a [suggestion?] that the powers should jointly warn Japan not to advance into China proper. Lampson has since done nothing further.
It was also stated that the impression gained by the British Embassy in Tokyo was that the Japanese did not at this time desire mediation. British Chargé d’Affaires at Tokyo reported that the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs informed him of Yoshizawa’s recent visit to China “but added with shouts of laughter that Yoshizawa had been unable to get in touch with any Chinese.”