893.01 Provisional/100: Telegram
The Third Secretary of Embassy in China ( Allison ) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 3—11:45 a.m.]
91. According to an announcement in this morning’s Nanking Min Pao, a spokesman for the Reformed Government of China stated yesterday that the new government will respect the property rights and interests of foreign nations in China in accordance with the principles of international law but that agreements made with the National Government of China (Chiang Kai Shek’s government) by foreign nations will not be recognized and the new government will assume no responsibility nor any obligations towards such agreements.
It has not yet been possible to confirm that statement nor to obtain any amplification of it. However, according to the Chinese member of Embassy staff who translated the article today, it is believed the meaning is that all treaties made with foreign nations prior to formation of the National Government in 1927 will be honored as will any which might be made in future with the new government, but all those made between 1927 and 1938 will be disregarded.
Sent to Embassy [at] Hankow, Peiping and Shanghai; Shanghai repeat to Tokyo.