893.113 Airplanes/95
Memorandum by Mr. Raymond C. Mackay of the Division of Far Eastern Affairs
The Chinese Minister54 called at the Department and was received by Mr. Mackay.
The Minister stated that yesterday (February 14) he received from his Government at Nanking a telegram reporting the desire of the authorities at Canton to obtain from the United States twenty Boeing bombing planes; that the Chinese Government had not approved of such a purchase; and that, in consequence, the Chinese Government would appreciate cooperation on the part of the Department to the extent of withholding permission for the export of such a shipment, if and when request is made therefor, until such time as the Chinese Government shall have indicated to the Department its desire that export be authorized.
Mr. Mackay replied that, as far as he was aware, the Department had not of late received a request for the issuance of an export license covering shipment to Canton of twenty Boeing bombing planes; that [Page 717] if such request were received it would not, in the absence of the usual request by the Chinese Government, be authorized by the Department if the goods in question were of a military character.
The Minister expressed his appreciation of the Department’s cooperation in the matter.
(Note: Subsequent investigation discloses the fact that last October the Department received an application for the issuance of an export license covering shipment to Canton of ten Boeing planes equipped with armament. This application is now on file in the Department awaiting the receipt from the Chinese Government of an indication of its wishes in the matter.)
- Dr. Sao-ke Alfred Sze.↩