693.002/411
The Department of State to the British Embassy
Aide-Mémoire
The Government of the United States acknowledges herewith the three aides-mémoire of the British Embassy dated November 19, November 22, and November 26 respectively.2 With reference to the first two aides-mémoire of the British Embassy, the Government of the United States on November 24 despatched telegraphic instructions to Mr. Grew at Tokyo to impress upon the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs this Government’s very real interest in the preservation of the integrity of the Chinese Customs and its administrative functions, including the safeguarding of the Customs revenues. Mr. Grew was instructed to confine his approach to a broad statement of our position as indicated above and not to support any particular plan or arrangement. A similar instruction was sent to the American Consul General at Shanghai.
When the aide-mémoire of the British Embassy dated November 26 was handed to Mr. Hamilton,3 he took the occasion to point out to Mr. Vyvyan4 that an apparent discrepancy existed in the reports on the situation as shown by what Mr. Hirota5 had told Mr. Grew and what Mr. Hall-Patch had reported to the British Government. This apparent inconsistency raises doubt as to the attitude of the Japanese authorities in respect to discussion with representatives of outside powers about the Shanghai customs situation. The Government of the United States has sent on November 26 telegraphic instructions to both Tokyo and Shanghai in the endeavor to obtain a clarification of the attitude of the Japanese authorities.
The Government of the United States thinks it advisable at this time to apprise the British Embassy of the attitude of the Government in respect to the more general aspects of this matter. The Government of the United States attaches the highest importance to keeping alive before the Japanese Government the deep interest of the Government of the United States in the maintenance of the integrity of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service, both of its functioning and the distribution [Page 882] of its funds. To this end it has instructed and will instruct its representatives both in Tokyo and in Shanghai to keep constantly in touch with the situation, to use their influence for the broad purposes described above, and to object to any arrangement which would appear to contravene these purposes. At the same time the Government of the United States does not feel that it should take a position of insisting upon participation by a representative of this Government in the negotiations which are at present in progress between the authorities of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service and the Japanese military. The Government of the United States believes that it should be consulted with regard to these negotiations and it believes that its representatives at Tokyo and particularly at Shanghai might, when consulted, make useful contributions during the course of such negotiations.