793.94/9497: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
423. My 419, August 13, 4 p.m. I accompanied colleagues and we saw the Generalissimo at 11 [5?] this evening. The Generalissimo opened the conversation by asking what information we had from Japan. The German Ambassador on his own initiative read to the Generalissimo text of reply which Japanese Ambassador delivered to us this afternoon to our joint note reported in my 403, August 11, [Page 398] midnight. He made the point that Japanese Ambassador expressed the hope that we could persuade Chinese to withdraw beyond fighting distance of Japanese, stating that Japanese in such a contingency would withdraw to previous positions. We pointed out that this was first time that Japanese had communicated to us any desire for help; that we were informing Generalissimo of this informally; that we could not undertake to define what Japanese meant by “fighting distance” nor were we prepared to define what Japanese meant by “withdrawal to their original positions”.
Generalissimo stated that if we were prepared to guarantee good faith of the Japanese, Chinese would accept our guarantee and be prepared to negotiate with Japanese. We informed Generalissimo that we were in no position to act as guarantors of either side in these matters. Generalissimo stated that he wanted to emphasize that China had no desire to precipitate hostilities; that China desired peace. With reference to Japanese reply to our joint note, Generalissimo suggested that matter would be considered by the Foreign Office if brought to its attention. We stated that any understanding which Japanese and Chinese might reach would have to be through direct negotiations between the two sides; that we were not prepared to act as mediators; but that if an agreement could be reached between the two sides in regard to a mutual withdrawal at Shanghai we would be prepared to appoint observers to watch the fulfillment of such an agreement.
I stated that whatever happened in regard to the situation at Shanghai, I hoped the Chinese would remember that foreigners had been collected for purposes of safety in that part of the International Settlement south of Soochow Creek patrolled by the police of the Municipal Settlement and neutral armed forces, and that I hoped that in any operations in or near Shanghai the Chinese would remember this fact. Generalissimo stated that they had every desire to protect all foreign civilians even including Japanese, but that if Japanese used International Settlement as a base of attack it would be dangerous for foreigners there. I stated that we were using every means possible to withdraw foreign nationals from that area where Japanese were in order that they might be away from places of danger. Generalissimo in course of conversation expressed the hope that we would look below the surface in this connection to fundamental situation. He said that it was their information that Japanese intended to create a special area which would run roughly to a line from Sungkiang through Soochow and include the mouth of the Yangtze.
We feel that there is little or no hope that we can prevent hostilities at Shanghai in view of large concentration by Japanese there. [Page 399] However, French Ambassador expects to see Hidaka this evening and with our approval he is informing Hidaka that we have brought substance of Japanese reply informally to the attention of the Generalissimo, and that it is our belief that if he could furnish Chinese Foreign Office with official text of Japanese proposal regarding mutual withdrawal this might serve as a basis for discussion between the Japanese and the Chinese.
Sent to Shanghai, Tokyo.
- Original telegram not received; duplicate sent upon report of missing orifirinal.↩