793.94/9267: Telegram
The Consul General at Shanghai (Gauss) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 10—10:34 a.m.]
447. Treaty Power Consuls at Shanghai met this afternoon on call of the Senior Consul to discuss local situation. The Japanese Consul General spent some time in giving assurances of Japanese desire to avoid any clashes at Shanghai and of his belief that “for the present” there is no reason for uneasiness but he dwelt at length upon the provocative activities of the Peace Preservation Corps and their increased strength and armament. He admitted, however, in reply to my inquiry that 300 Japanese bluejackets landed here today. He stated that they were from the Hankow garrison.
After discussion it was agreed that the Senior Consul should address the Mayor of Greater Shanghai and the Japanese Consul General to the following effect:
“In view of the general uneasiness prevailing in Shanghai as a result of recent unfortunate events in China and the fear of an armed clash in the Shanghai area, the interested consular representatives desire to direct the attention of the Mayor and of the Japanese Consul General to the fact that there is a large foreign population in Shanghai and also extensive and important commercial, industrial, property and shipping interests in the port which would be seriously endangered by any conflict in the Shanghai area, and these representatives therefore express the hope that it may be necessary definitely to exclude the Shanghai area from the sphere of any possible hostilities and that all armed forces of whatever character now here may be restrained from any acts which might disturb the peace or cause uneasiness or alarm to foreign and Chinese residents of the port”.
This communication is to be delivered tomorrow; it is also to be communicated to the interested diplomatic representatives at Nanking.
Repeated to Nanking and Peiping.