793.94/6766: Telegram
The Minister in China ( Johnson ) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 3—12:14 p.m.]
338. The First Secretary in chargé of the Japanese Legation here informed an officer of this Legation this morning in confidence that he has been officially informed by Japanese authorities in Central China that General Huang Fu, who has been absent in Central China since early April, has decided not to resign and will resume his duties at Peiping by the latter part of this month. Japanese Secretary of Legation stated that Huang’s decision to return was largely influenced by the outcome of recent informal Sino-Japanese conversations at Dairen, which dealt only with questions of administration of the demilitarized zone and which resulted in settlement satisfactory to both sides as follows:
- (1)
- replacement by Chinese police of “Manchukuo” forces now guarding the Manchu tombs near Malanyu;
- (2)
- control of undesirable Japanese and Koreans in the demilitarized zone by a system of permits of residence; and
- (3)
- promise of Japanese to withdraw their forces remaining south of the Great Wall as soon as quarters north of it are ready.
Those questions which remain unsolved include,
- (1)
- the number and arms of Chinese police to be permitted in the demilitarized area, and
- (2)
- the disposal of certain renegade Chinese forces in Chahar.
Although the concessions made by the Japanese military are slight, they have apparently helped (together with the urgings of Chiang Kai-shek and Wang Ching-wei) to convince Huang Fu that his return to Peiping may improve Sino-Japanese relations. The leniency of the Japanese military would seem to arise from the belief that minor concessions will so improve the feeling of the Chinese that subsequent agreement with regard to questions of a more important character will be facilitated. Huang Fu’s return should do much to maintain the present calm in Sino-Japanese relations.
Tokyo informed by mail.