793.94/9677: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 25—10:50 a.m.]
519. Referring to Tokyo’s 301, August 23, 7 p.m.,75 the British Ambassador on August 23 addressed the following note to the Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs:
“I have the honor, because of instructions from His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to inform Your Excellency’s Government that His Majesty’s Government must reserve all their rights as regards holding the Chinese Government responsible for damage to or loss of either life or property that may be incurred by subjects of His Majesty as a result of action taken by Chinese forces in the course of the present hostilities in China.”
I request that the Department instruct me as to whether similar action should be taken by us. Repeated to the Department. This telegram has been repeated to Tokyo.
- Not printed; it reported a British note to the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs similar to the note quoted in this telegram. (793.94/9598)↩