701.4193/76
The Ambassador in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 10.]
Sir: I have the honor to enclose herewith copy of a letter dated June 30th15 which I have just received from the British Chargé, Mr. R. G. Howe. Mr. Howe informs me of the British Government’s decision to build new premises at Nanking capable of housing the entire staff of the British Embassy, and states that negotiations have already been set on foot for the acquisition of a suitable site at Nanking. He concludes by stating that the British Government have clearly expressed their intention of retaining the existing British property at Peiping.
This letter was written on the very day that an item appeared in the Shanghai papers reporting that an announcement had been made in Parliament by the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to [Page 545] the effect that the British Embassy was to be moved from Peiping to Nanking, and that the British Chargé was negotiating for an Embassy site at Nanking. According to a statement made to Mr. Peck16 by Mr. Howe in Nanking on July 1st, it is the expectation of the British that the British Ambassador will spend a portion of each year in North China.
Naturally, this step on the part of the British Government brings forth the question as to whether the United States Government should not similarly interest itself in the acquisition of an Embassy site at Nanking. It is my personal belief that this is not necessary at the present moment.
We are about to take over on a six-year lease a very desirable place at Nanking, upon which are now being finished five houses to accommodate myself and members of my staff, and the office of the Embassy. I expect that these houses will be ready for occupancy in September of this year, and it is my present intention to move myself and my family to Nanking in October at the latest and establish a permanent residence in Nanking, keeping the residence here sufficiently furnished to enable me to use it during the summer months if that seems possible or feasible. I believe that once I am settled in Nanking we can then examine the situation more judiciously and determine upon a policy in regard to the acquisition of a new site.
The latest information regarding sites which the Nationalist Government at Nanking was prepared to sell to foreign Governments for Embassy use indicated a desire on its part to put the Legations and Embassies over into the northeastern section of the city, just inside the wall from Lotus Lake, an area that is very low, filled with ponds and known to be within the malarial mosquito area of the city. Personally I would be opposed to the purchase of a site in such a location under present conditions.
During a recent visit to Nanking I talked with Mr. Suma, First Secretary of the Japanese Embassy and Japanese Consul General at Nanking. Mr. Suma stated that the Japanese were meeting with considerable difficulty in their desire to obtain an Embassy site at Nanking. It has been my understanding that the Japanese desire to purchase land near the present site of their buildings at Nanking, long occupied by their Consulate. The newly-arrived Japanese Ambassador is, I understand, taking over the main residence of the old Japanese Consulate at Nanking, relegating Mr. Suma who has hitherto occupied that building to a more modest edifice within the compound. It is a matter of local gossip in Nanking that the Chinese are opposed to the Japanese acquisition of a site for their Embassy at the present site of their buildings because it is located on high ground.
[Page 546]In my opinion, with the completion of the buildings now being erected for lease to the American Government at Nanking, the American Embassy at Nanking will be well taken care of for the time being, and we can afford to wait a while before deciding to purchase a site for the Embassy.
Respectfully yours,