893.102S/1397
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in China (Johnson)
Sir: The receipt is acknowledged of the Embassy’s despatch No. 661 of August 20, 1936, enclosing a copy of despatch No. 333 of August 12, 1936, from the Consul General at Shanghai,97 in regard to a request, transmitted by the Mayor of the Shanghai municipal government in a letter addressed to the Senior Consul, from the Chinese Ratepayers’ Association for an increase, effective in 1937, of Chinese representation on the Municipal Council of the International Settlement at Shanghai. It is noted that in Shanghai’s despatch under reference the Consul General discussed various aspects of this question and added that the impression seemed to prevail that the Chinese application would not be pushed vigorously at this time.
The Department is in general agreement with the views expressed by the Consul General and concurred in by the Embassy and desires that the Consulate General, as it has suggested, should not take the initiative in matters of this kind nor take an advanced position in support of or in opposition to them.
It is assumed that the Embassy will continue to keep the Department informed of developments.
An extra copy of this instruction is enclosed for transmission to the Consulate General at Shanghai.
Very truly yours,
- Despatch No. 333 not printed.↩