793.94/14530: Telegram
The Consul General at Canton (Myers) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 21—4:27 p.m.]
87. On morning of December 20th a Canton Peace Maintenance Commission was installed under Japanese auspices at Canton in ceremony at Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall with former Sim Yat Sen associates Peng Tung Yuan as chairman and Lu Chun Yu as vice chairman. About 5,000 Chinese of poorer classes, many presumably assembled under Japanese direction, attending [attended?] the meeting, where Japanese and “5 barred” flags were displayed and at which Japanese military, naval, consular and newly installed Chinese “Commission” officials urged cooperation with new regime. Congratulatory telegrams from Japanese officials in Tokyo and members of Japanese sponsored regimes in Manchuria, Peiping and Nanking were read. The German Vice Consul attended formally attired, but, except for French Vice Consul who was present unofficially, no other consular officers attended.
Following inaugural ceremony there was a parade through Canton streets of Japanese Army trucks carrying apathetic looking Chinese holding flags; there were armed Japanese guards in many of the trucks.
Recently an Imperial messenger arrived in Canton from Tokyo.
Repeated to Chungking and Peiping.