793.94/8823: Telegram
The Counselor of Embassy in China (Peck) to the Secretary of State
Nanking, July 18, 1937—11
a.m.
[Received July 18—5:50 a.m.]
[Received July 18—5:50 a.m.]
295. Our 290, July 17, noon.
- 1.
- Hidaka called last night at midnight on the Chinese Minister for Foreign Affairs and handed him a memorandum pointing out the gravity of the situation in North China and urging that the National Government despatch no further troops northward and refrain from “further provocative acts”. Inquiry of the Foreign Office by an officer of the Embassy met with admission by a responsible official that a document along these general lines had been presented last night to Wang by Hidaka, but the Foreign Office was still studying the document and the official was, therefore, not yet in a position to discuss it.
- 2.
- According to a responsible Secretary of the Japanese Embassy the document was merely an aide-mémoire left by Hidaka to summarize his remarks made under instructions from the Japanese Foreign Office, that the situation in the North is very grave and that if the National Government really desires a peaceful settlement it should not send any more troops northward or continue in its “disturbing” attitude. The secretary states that Hidaka requested a definite reply and Wang told him that the gravity of the matter would require a meeting of the Executive Yuan, he would call such meeting, and a reply to the Japanese Embassy would be duly made tomorrow.
- 3.
- The Chinese Foreign Office spokesman confirmed the details of the call of the Japanese Assistant Military Attaché upon the War Ministry as described in our 294, July 17, 9 p.m., and stated that this particular démarche by the Japanese War Office had naturally been expected by the Chinese Government.
- 4.
- The Foreign Office official also stated that, as reported in the’ press, Chinese diplomatic representatives had delivered on June [July] 16 identic memoranda34 to seven signatories of the Nine Power Treaty; he appeared unwilling to describe their contents and stated that the texts had not been handed to any foreign diplomatic missions in China or otherwise given out here.
- 5.
- Sent to the Department, Peiping, Tokyo.
Peck