Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1937, The Far East, Volume III

793.94/9110: Telegram

The Counselor of Embassy in China (Lockhart) to the Secretary of State

Peiping, July 31, 1937—3 p.m.
[Received July 31—8:46 a.m.]

343. Reference paragraph 2, Embassy’s 327, July 29, 5 p.m., and paragraph 4, Embassy’s 333, July 30, 2 p.m.³¹

1. Interested Chinese met yesterday afternoon in connection with the forming of a “committee for the maintenance of order”. Six Japanese attended including the local Assistant Military Attaché.

2. Domei reports that the committee was inaugurated at that meeting and that it is understood that the Japanese military say that the situation will not come up [clarify] if leaders of the 29th Army and the Hopei-Chahar Political Council participate in the committee.

3. The Embassy is reliably informed that attitude of the first [August 1st] was decided on for the inauguration and that the committee may not be inaugurated because a number of Chinese who have been approached to serve on it have refused. It is understood that Chiang Chao Tsung, a former Premier who was slated to be its chairman, has decided not to serve.

4. Evidently those behind the forming of the committee are attempting to obtain the participation of some Chinese of good reputation who have not been active in affairs for some time. If the [such] Chinese refuse to participate, it is supposed that a committee with a larger proportion of less desirable Chinese will be formed. The refusal of some Chinese to serve on the committee is presumably the result of Japanese participation in the preliminaries and realization that the committee will be a Japanese tool.

Repeated to Nanking, Tokyo, Shanghai. Shanghai please repeat to Tokyo.

Lockhart

31. Neither printed.