893.515/513: Telegram
The Second Secretary of Legation in China (Atcheson) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 17—11:55 a.m.]
74. Paragraph 2, my April 16, 1 p.m. Same official this morning confidentially told foreign newspaper correspondent who has been on friendly terms with him for some years that, while British Minister prior to his recent visit to Nanking which terminated April 9 had shown considerable enthusiasm in regard to question of international loan, the British had now “let China down” in this respect. He said the British Minister’s unexpected loss of enthusiasm was due to his or British Foreign Office’s interpretation of debate in House of Commons April 3 concerning possible British mediation between China and Japan and remarks made as to the advisability of not antagonizing Japan. The official admitted that the Chinese Government’s interest in loan question had also cooled. British Minister intimated that Japanese opposition to the project was partly responsible for the fact that the Chinese Government had not conceived a definite proposal for international financial assistance to lay before the British Minister.