793.94/11250: Telegram
The Consul General at Shanghai ( Gauss ) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 23—6:45 p.m.]
1008. Reference paragraph 9 of my No. 1002, November 22, 7 p.m. Senior Consul invited American, British, French, Italian, and Japanese [Page 716] Consuls General to meet with him this afternoon when the opportunity was taken to discuss informally with the Japanese Consul General the five-point outline he had submitted to the Settlement authorities but had not communicated to his colleagues of the powers interested in the International Settlement. He gave very little information in clarification of his outline. It was emphasized that such services as the posts, telegraphs, cables, and wireless are of the greatest importance to foreign interests and there is definite foreign interest in the status of the customs. He said that these matters were being studied and as to the customs stated that the Japanese being now in occupation of Shanghai they require control of the customs but will respect foreign loan and indemnity quotas and foreign personnel.
- 2.
- We then took up the question of Japanese forces passing into or through the foreign areas south of the Creek and urged that laying aside all argument as to legal rights, it would be exceedingly unwise at this time from the standpoint of peace and order to bring any Japanese into or through the areas south of the Creek where Japanese interests are now receiving full protection at the hands of the foreign forces and municipal authorities. Japanese Consul General sought to explain the conversation between General Harada and the Secretary General of the Council as a request for opinion and added that when General Harada later visited the French Consul General he found the latter unable under French statutes to permit passage through the French Concession. French Consul General confirmed this position.
- 3.
- On the question of the intention of the Japanese naval landing party to send guards to protect Japanese mill property and Japanese residents in the foreign areas, the Japanese Consul General sought to explain that in the area west of the International Settlement but within the foreign defense lines the municipal police may function only on the extra-Settlement roads and Chinese police can no longer function off those roads and there is no protection for Japanese or Japanese property. It was pointed out that these areas are all protected by the foreign forces and I emphasized that the American Marines protect a sector entirely within the boundaries of the Settlement and Japanese residents and Japanese property there have received full protection from both the marines and the municipal police.
- 4.
- Commander-in-Chief50 informs me this evening that the naval commanders referred question mentioned in paragraph 3 of this telegram to the commander of the forces ashore who conferred with the commander of the Japanese naval landing party today and urged that any proposal to send forces south of the Creek be postponed. The [Page 717] Japanese commander stated he would refer to his senior officer, the Japanese admiral.
Sent to the Department. Repeated to Tokyo.
- Admiral Harry E. Yarnell.↩