893.102S/1674

Memorandum by the Consul General at Shanghai (Lockhart) of a Conversation With the Japanese Consul General at Shanghai (Hidaka)72

Mr. Hidaka came to see me yesterday morning and discussed somewhat at length the proclamation issued by the Shanghai Municipal [Page 134] Council with reference to the expulsion from the Settlement of persons arrested for terrorist activities or having in their possession arms or other evidence which might relate to such activities.73 Mr. Hidaka seemed very pleased that the Municipal Council had issued the proclamation, and he said that he hoped they would even go further in their campaign against the terrorists, and that extraordinary precautions should be taken to cover the period from August 10 to August 15, which would mark the first anniversary of the outbreak of hostilities at Shanghai. I told Mr. Hidaka that it seemed to me that the Shanghai Municipal Council and the French Concession authorities met the situation very well indeed on July 7, and that the situation was brought under control within two or three hours after the outbreak early in the morning of that day. I told Mr. Hidaka that in ordinary circumstances my feeling was that such unlawful acts should be handled by the appropriate courts, but that at least under the present conditions a more drastic procedure seemed to be required, and that I at least hoped that the measures adopted by the Council would be effective; that in my judgment the Municipal Council and the French Concession authorities were doing everything that could be well expected of them in preserving order in the foreign areas; that the problem was greatly aggravated by the enormous number of refugees in the city and the extraordinary density of population which could doubtless not be matched in any other city in the world.

Mr. Hidaka said that he felt that the Municipal authorities were doing everything they could, but that he nevertheless hoped that there would be no slackening in their efforts; that he was quite sure the terrorism was organized by certain agencies at Hankow; that he strongly felt that the authorities of the French Concession and International Settlement should adopt strong measures for preventing the influx of unlawful elements, and to that end he suggested a strict inspection of all Chinese passengers arriving by steamer from any direction.

F[rank] P. L[ockhart]
  1. Copy transmitted to the Department by the Consul General at Shanghai in his despatch No. 1557, July 23; received August 13.
  2. See telegram No. 992, July 14, 6 p.m., from the Consul General at Shanghai, vol. iii, p. 225.