811.79690 Pan American Airways/47a: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in China (Johnson)
17. On February 14 an anonymous news item appeared in Washing-ton Post under headline “U. S. Negotiates on Clipper Ship Base in China: Diplomats Seek to Overcome Japan’s Objections in Orient,” in which, after considerable detail, the writer states “Postoffice and airline officials, however, are confident that Japanese objections to the Manila–China link can be smoothed out ‘within a month’. Whatever the outcome of these diplomatic efforts to pour oil on [Page 639] troubled Oriental waters, Pan American, it was stated, would go through with its plans to link the Philippines and China”.
Far Eastern Division inquired of Pan American officials and was told that the latter thought Post Office Department was pressing Chinese postal administration. Conference with Post Office officials discloses that Post Office Department has made no such move; and it has been agreed that neither Post Office Department nor this Department will make any move in the matter without previous consultation.
Department requests such information as you can give with regard to any conversations or negotiations in China out of which the newspaper story referred to above might have arisen.
For guidance, Department desires that American official representatives in China make no moves in this matter without previously consulting Department.