Office of the Historian

761.93/1587: Telegram

The Ambassador in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State

Nanking, April 5, 1937—5 p.m.
[Received April 6—7 a.m.]

154. 1. Soviet Ambassador,68 absent in Russia since November 10, reached Shanghai April 1 but has not yet come to Nanking. Some [Page 63] observers consider that his departure from Moscow was partly responsible for unconfirmed Japanese news story March 25 that following “political understanding” had been reached with China: (1) Soviet to accord no assistance to Chinese Communists; (2) China to regard communism as domestic issue requiring no agreement with third party; (3) Soviet to recognize Chinese sovereignty in Sinkiang and aid Nanking in extending Chinese authority in that province; [(4)?] (status quo) in Outer Mongolia to be maintained and Soviet to issue statement confirming Chinese sovereignty there in view of existence of Manchukuo and Japanese activities in Outer [Inner?] Mongolia; (5) circumstances permitting, the two governments to propose creation of machinery to guarantee security of the Pacific. Both Soviet and Chinese authorities in Nanking have denied truth of this report and it is generally discredited.

2. Correction of the report with Bogomoloff’s return is regarded in some quarters as conceivably due to (1) his having returned to Moscow at the time the Japanese-German Anti-Communist Pact was announced, (2) possibility that he is returning to negotiate an understanding with the Chinese such as that described above which would be a logical move by the Soviet Union to counteract the Japanese-German agreement. According to a confidential Chinese official source, some sections of Chinese officialdom would welcome such an agreement. According to this source, conversations concerning a Sino-Soviet commercial treaty (which may or may not include political matters) have continued from time to time but the Soviet representatives are extremely difficult to deal with because they demand acceptance of hard and fast prior conditions.

3. Sent to the Department; by mail to Peiping, Shanghai, Tokyo, Moscow.

Johnson
  1. Dimitri Bogomolov.↩