693.002/777: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in Japan (Grew)
392. Your 739, November 18, 10 p.m.
1. Under date November 9 the American Consul General at Canton telegraphed as follows:
“The Japanese consular and military authorities today went to the Canton Customhouse and informed the Acting Deputy Commissioner in charge that they were taking over the Chinese Maritime Customs as from 2 p.m., today.
For the present the Japanese flag will not be flown nor must any other flag. The present customs staff is asked to continue as before but documents must be shown to the Japanese authorities when asked for. They added that no customs funds now owing or here in banks may be transferred to the Inspector General without their permission. The Deputy Commissioner has asked the Inspector General at Shanghai for instructions.”
2. The Department authorizes you, if and when your interested colleagues are prepared to take similar but separate action, to protest to the Japanese Foreign Office in such manner as you may deem appropriate against the taking over of the Chinese Maritime Customshouse at Canton by the Japanese authorities. You should base your representations on the ground that the reported action constitutes an infringement of the integrity of the Chinese Maritime Customs and you should reexpress the broad interest which this Government has in the preservation of the integrity of the customs.23
Repeated to Chungking, Peiping, Canton and Shanghai.
- For Ambassador Grew’s note of November 24 and the Japanese reply of December 16, see Foreign Relations, Japan, 1931–1941, vol. i, pp. 746 and 747. British and French representations were made also on November 24 at Tokyo and again by the British on December 1.↩