893.4061 Motion Pictures/92
The Minister in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 2.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to the Legation’s despatch No. 2290, September 13, 1933, and to previous correspondence in regard to the censorship of motion pictures in China, and to enclose for the Department’s information a copy of despatch No. 7723, October 31, 1933, from the Consul General at Shanghai.98
The Consul General encloses a letter from the Motion Picture Association of China, complaining against the action of the National Government Motion Picture Censorship Committee in fining the foreign distributors for irregularities on the part of Chinese exhibitors over whom the distributors have no control.
In accordance with the Consul General’s suggestion, the Legation has instructed the Counselor of Legation at Nanking to take this matter up informally with the appropriate authorities of the Chinese Government, explain to them the hardships resulting from the practice of the Censorship Committee, and endeavor to obtain a modification of the procedure which will free foreign distributors from responsibility for the irregularities of Chinese exhibitors. At the same time the Counselor has been instructed to draw attention to the treaty provisions under which fines may be imposed on American citizens only by the American courts.
Respectfully yours,
Counselor of Legation
- Not printed.↩