793.94/6532
Memorandum, by the Minister in China (Johnson) of a Conversation With the President of the Chinese Executive Tuan and Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs (Wang)79
In the course of a conversation this afternoon,80 Dr. Wang Ching-wei stated that he wished to explain to me the situation which had arisen in connection with Sino-Japanese relations. He commented upon the fact that there were numerous rumors current to the effect [Page 451] that the Chinese had made arrangements with the Japanese military in Peiping, through General Huang Fu, in regard to certain matters, and that this indicated that there had been a change of policy on the part of the Government in favor of more intimate relations with Japan—a pro-Japanese policy, in other words.
Dr. Wang pointed out that both in and out of the Government there were opinions both for and against a more friendly situation between China and Japan. He wished to take this opportunity, however, to assure me that there was no ground for these rumors; that both he and General Chiang Kai-shek had given instructions that all questions between China and Japan should be approached with the greatest caution. They, of course, did not want trouble and would do nothing to provoke the Japanese, but on the other hand, they were determined not to make any settlements which might be interpreted as an abandonment of the policy pursued at Geneva. China was grateful for the friendly and interested attitude of the United States throughout this difficulty and he wanted us to know that China would continue to follow the policy which had previously been outlined; that there was no truth in stories to the effect that the Government intended to adopt a pro-Japanese policy.