Office of the Historian

893.01 Provisional/56: Telegram

The Counselor of Embassy in China (Lockhart) to the Secretary of State

Peiping, February 23, 1938—noon.
[Received February 23—4:48 a.m.]

125. Your 51, February 19, 1 p.m.

1.
I believe that a distinction should be drawn between officials of the “Provisional Government” and municipal officials serving thereunder. It seems to me that the proposal made by the British Government could probably be applied to municipal officers as distinguished from Provisional Government officials with the exception that in the case of this Embassy it might be necessary on occasions to substitute a subordinate diplomatic officer for a consular officer, depending somewhat on the circumstances of the call from the local official. There is one career consular officer attached to the Embassy at present. As regards officials of the so-called “Provisional Government” it would seem to be preferable to adhere to the procedure defined in the Department’s 400, December 15, 7 p.m.,53 that is to say, calls received from such officials should be acknowledged by sending, or if deemed definitely expedient, taking in return the personal card of the officer in charge with the personal name of the official called upon written thereon. I received a call from the Mayor recently and returned it on this basis.
2.
The question of attending functions would present a more difficult problem, but there is reason to believe that this question will not arise at least until after the appointment of a chairman of the “Provisional Government.”
3.
It will be difficult for the Embassy to escape the necessity of informal representations to the local authorities, (generally to the municipal authorities by subordinate officers) from time to time, on subjects such as local taxes, municipal regulations, and protection. So far there has been no occasion to approach the “Provisional Government” on any subject.
4.
The substance of the above has been discussed with my British and French colleagues.

The latter has referred matter to his Ambassador and the former will inform his Government of the views herein expressed.

Lockhart
  1. Foreign Relations, 1937, vol. iii, p. 811.↩