693.002/188
The Minister in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 29.]
Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the Department’s instruction No. 1612 of March 25, 1935, on the subject of the position of Americans in the Chinese Maritime Customs Service.
As the Minister was in Nanking at the time the Department’s instruction was received by the Legation, it seemed appropriate to refer it to him for comment. There are quoted below, for the Department’s information, pertinent paragraphs in a letter dated May 4, 1935, from the Minister.
“In replying to the Department’s instruction you may quote me as saying that, in view of our past policy of non-interference in such matters and in view of present tendencies in the situation as regards China’s relations with the Powers that have indicated a desire to influence such appointments, by force perhaps, if necessary, it would do us little good to start something which we may not be able to finish.
“This applies particularly to the question of insisting that the Chinese employ Americans in the senior positions because of the favorable position which we now enjoy in China’s trade. I see no objection to seconding the entry of additional Americans into the Maritime Customs Service, but I do not know how the Customs recruits its service nor do I know how we could proceed to second any particular group of Americans who might desire to apply for such an appointment. I believe that this has usually been done through the representative of the Customs resident in London.”
The Department will note, from the above excerpt, that Mr. Johnson is of the opinion that, in view of our past policy of non-interference in such matters and in view of present tendencies in the situation as regards China’s relations with the Powers that have indicated a desire to influence such appointments, it would do us little good “to start something which we might not be able to finish.”
In addition to the above comment, the Department might wish to give consideration to the fact that a change of policy which would open the way for the Department to interest itself in the personnel of the Chinese Maritime Customs might also lead to overtures being made for Government assistance by the American personnel in other branches of the Chinese Government Service, such as the Salt Gabelle and Aviation. The Legation believes that the present is a particularly inopportune time to make any substantial change in the present policy of the Department in such matters.
Respectfully yours,
Counselor of Legation