893.01 Provisional/19: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 21—8:42 a.m.]
95. Following statement received in English from the Foreign Office, December 20, 11 p.m.
“The National Government issued the following statement today:
‘Having seized large parts of Chinese territory and slaughtered numberless Chinese citizens, Japan has now started to set [up] and control at Peiping, which is under the occupation of Japanese troops, [Page 825] an unlawful regime, self-styled the Provisional Government of the Republic of China. This, it may be noted, is a repetition of what Japan has done in Manchuria and Jehol and East Hopei. Such an organization born of Japan[’s] armed aggression in China is entirely a Japanese puppet and served [serves?] but as the tool of her domination over this country. While those individuals who participate in such organization must of necessity be severely punished according to the law of the land, it should be clearly pointed out that Japan alone is responsible for the existence and actions of the organization itself which are thoroughly under Japanese control and which are therefore not of the nature of ail ordinary rebellion within a state. In thus creating and supporting a bogus regime, Japan has clearly violated Chinese [China’s] sovereignty and territorial and administrative integrity.
The National Government of the Republic of China declared [declares] that the bogus organization now existing at Peiping or any similar organization that may exist elsewhere is the result of an important move on the part of Japan in the relentless prosecution of her aggressive policy in China and that all acts of such unlawful organization or organizations shall be considered null and void, both internally and externally, both de facto and de jure’”.
Repeated to Shanghai, Peiping, latter repeat to Tokyo by mail.