793.94/7005: Telegram
The Minister in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 5—11:10 a.m.]
243. 1. Resignation of Director of Military Training under Peiping Military Council and of the commander of the Third gendarmerie Colonel Chiang Hsiao-hsien, who is a nephew of Chiang Kai-shek have been accepted. Mayor Chang Ting-ao of Tientsin has been relieved of office. Wang Keh-min, a close friend of Huang Fu and said to be choice of Japanese has been appointed to succeed Chang Ting-ao. Other political reorganizations are being effected.
2. Removal of Provincial headquarters to Paoting now practically completed. Believed that Yu Hsueh-chung’s proposed change or dismissal or at least transfer to another province will shortly occur. Third gendarmerie and Yu Hsueh-chung’s troops are being removed to Paoting, and Tientsin has been raised to a special municipality.
3. The expected return of Chiang Kai-shek to Hankow is believed to portend important conferences and decisions of importance bearing on future Sino-Japanese relations in North China.
5 [4?] Sakai and Takahashi called again yesterday on Ho Yingchin at which time it is said questions of murders in Japanese Concession at Tientsin and activities of Lun Yung Chintz Hwa66 were further discussed and inquiries made as to extent which Chinese have responded to recent “warning”. Inasmuch as there has already been a very substantial response as indicated in the Legation’s telegraphic [Page 202] reports of last few days and by paragraphs 1 and 2 of this telegram it is assumed that yesterday’s conference was satisfactory especially since there has been no report to the contrary thus far. Surface indications at least denote that the situation for the time being is relieved. There are still occasional flights of Japanese airplanes over Peiping.
Repeated to Nanking, Shanghai and Tokyo.
- The so-called “Blue Shirts.”↩