393.1164/160

The Secretary of State to the Minister in China (Johnson)

No. 1055

Sir: Referring to the Department’s instructions No. 1402 of November 15, 1929,33 and No. 327 of December 8, 1930,34 in regard to the Department’s attitude on the question of the status, under the treaties, of schools established in China by American missionary organizations, there is enclosed herewith a copy of an instruction of even date to the Consul General at Shanghai in connection with the University of China at Chen Ju, near Shanghai. The Department desires that the Legation circularize this instruction among consular officers in China.

Very truly yours,

For the Secretary of State:
William Phillips
[Enclosure]

The Secretary of State to the Consul General at Shanghai (Cunningham)

Sir: Reference is made to your despatch No. 8715 of January 17, 1933, and its enclosures,35 in regard to the protest made by Mr. Charles W. Rankin, President of the University of China at Chen Ju, near Shanghai, against the Department’s attitude on the question of the status, under the treaties, of schools established in China by American missionary organizations. With regard to this matter, the Department had already, prior to the receipt of your despatch, received by reference from The White House a letter, dated January 10, 1933, addressed to the President by Mr. Rankin,36 making a similar protest. With Mr. Rankin’s letter there was also received the original of your letter to him of January 4, 1933.36

Although the Department has given most careful and sympathetic consideration to and understands and appreciates Mr. Rankin’s point of view, it is constrained to hold that his interpretation of the treaties is not warranted by their texts and is contrary to the recognized principle that international agreements involving a limitation upon the exercise of the sovereignty of a state within its own territorial limits are to be strictly interpreted.

[Page 608]

The only provision in any of the Sino-American treaties which expressly accords to American nationals the right to establish and maintain schools in China is contained in Article VII of the Additional Articles of the Treaty of 1858,37 and that right is expressly limited to treaty ports, while the last paragraph of Article XIV of the Treaty of 1903,38 upon which Mr. Rankin apparently relies for support of his contention, provides that “Missionary societies of the United States shall be permitted to rent and to lease in perpetuity as the property of such societies buildings or lands in all parts of the Empire for missionary purposes” (underscoring by the Department.)

Accordingly the interpretation placed by Mr. Rankin on Article XIV of the Treaty of 1903 to the effect that the authorization contained in that Article to lease lands and buildings “for missionary purposes” includes the right to establish schools for the education of Chinese would be valid only if it could be established that Article XIV of the Treaty of 1903 had the effect of amending and enlarging the provisions of Article VII of the Additional Articles of the Treaty of 1858, which grants the right to establish schools in treaty ports. However, an examination of the two Articles definitely establishes the absence of any tenable basis for Mr. Rankin’s construction, as it is clear that the provisions of Article XIV of the Treaty of 1903 could not have been intended in any way to affect the provisions of Article VII of the earlier treaty, but merely repeated the right granted by Article XXIX of the Treaty of 185839 to “teach and practise the principles of Christianity”, with certain reservations as to the jurisdiction of the Chinese authorities over Chinese subjects, and authorized American missionary societies to lease lands and buildings “for missionary purposes”.

It is therefore evident that the negotiators of the treaties regarded the right to establish schools and the right to teach Christianity as separate and distinct grants, as these grants were expressly provided for in different articles, one of which authorized the establishment of schools in a limited area without any reference to religion or missionaries while the other authorized the teaching and practice of Christianity and the leasing of lands and buildings “for missionary purposes” without any reference to the establishment of schools.

The Department is likewise unable to acquiesce in Mr. Rankin’s view that Article IX of the Treaty of 1869 between Austria and China40 affords any support for his interpretation of Article XIV [Page 609] of the Treaty of 1903 between the United States and China. The Sino-Austrian Treaty under reference was expressly limited in scope to treaty ports and in so far as it permitted Austrians to establish schools in China, was comparable to and conferred no greater rights than Article VII of the Additional Articles of the Treaty of 1858.

It would seem to be clear therefore that, while the treaties expressly authorize the teaching of the principles of Christianity and, in connection with this authorization, permit American missionary societies to use lands and buildings for their missionary work, the treaties confer no right on American missionary societies to maintain schools for the combined secular and religious education of Chinese and the Department is accordingly confirmed in the opinion which it communicated to the Legation in its instructions No. 1402 of November 15, 1929, and No. 327 of December 8, 1930. The Department desires therefore that you return to Mr. Rankin your letter to him of January 4, 1933, informing him of the Department’s views as set forth herein and state that the Department cannot oppose the efforts of the Chinese authorities to require the registration of the University of China.

Very truly yours,

For the Secretary of State:
William Phillips
  1. Ibid., 1930, vol. ii, p. 538.
  2. Ibid., p. 544.
  3. None printed.
  4. Not printed.
  5. Not printed.
  6. Signed at Washington, July 28, 1868, Malloy, Treaties, 1776–1909, vol. i, p. 234.
  7. Signed at Shanghai, October 8, 1903, Foreign Relations, 1903, p. 91.
  8. Signed at Tientsin, June 18, 1858, Miller, Treaties, vol. 7, p. 793.
  9. Signed at Peking, September 2, 1869, British and Foreign State Papers, vol. lxi, p. 159.