493.11/1738: Telegram
The Minister in China (Johnson) to the Acting Secretary of State
[Received June 14—5:10 a.m.]
526. Department’s 181, May 31, 4 p.m.; 189, June 5, 4 p.m.,3 and 193, June 10, 3 p.m.
I instructed Peck to leave aide-mémoire with Ministry of Foreign Affairs setting forth opinion expressed in last sentence Department’s 193, June 10, 3 p.m., and also to inform Ministry of Railways that American Government desired that treatment be accorded to Andersen, Meyer and Company no less favorable than that accorded British creditors of the Tientsin-Pukow Railway. To these instructions Peck has replied as follows:
“I respectfully suggest that since the Legation is now making a special effort to obtain favorable action on claims commission proposal the railway debts be not pressed for a few days. Our insistence on treatment similar to that accorded British provides opponents with argument against concluding claims commission agreement with the United States alone instead of waiting until all foreign debts may be dealt with simultaneously.”
I concur in Peck’s opinion and have instructed him to defer taking action until reply has been received to proposal of establishment claims commission.
- Telegram No. 189 not printed.↩