493.11/2081: Telegram
The Counselor of Embassy in China ( Lockhart ) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 31—9:52 a.m.]
862. Doctor Leighton Stuart9 of Yenching has informed me that Tang Erh Ho, member of the new Provisional Government, states that he is contemplating taking over Tsinghua University on behalf of the new “Government”. Doctor Ferguson10 recently proposed that the university be reopened as a joint Sino-American-Japanese institution. He has informed me that he received encouragement from certain members of the Foundation whom he saw in Shanghai recently. They stated, however, that the proposal would have to be referred to members of Foundation in Hankow. It appears that Tang Erh Ho’s proposal contemplates using the returned American indemnity funds either by direct first installment to them if such an arrangement can be made through the customs or by persuading the China Foundation to allot funds for this purpose. I asked Dr. Stuart why Tang Erh Ho expected the Foundation would agree to allotments for [Page 576] the support of Tsinghua under the new conditions and he stated that Tang informed him that if necessary he would dismiss the members of the present Foundation and appoint new members. Tang cited the fact that Chiang Kai Shek11 dismissed 5 members of the Foundation out of 10 several years ago and put in Kuomintang members of his choice.
Dr. Stuart asked me to inform the Department of the possible turn of events as described above and he stated that he hoped that nothing would be done which would vitiate the original agreement under which the China Foundation has been functioning.12 I told Dr. Stuart that, so far as my knowledge goes, the Department has consistently refrained from interfering with the functions of the China Foundation and that, while I could not speak for the Department, I felt that the Department would not be disposed, under present circumstances, to take any active part in any scheme for the reorganization and reopening of Tsinghua whether as a joint undertaking or as a purely Chinese enterprise. An indication of the Department’s views for my own and Dr. Stuart’s confidential information would be appreciated.
- John Leighton Stuart, American missionary, president of Yenching University near Peiping, was a member of the Board of Trustees, China Foundation for the Promotion of Education and Culture, which handled the funds of the American-remitted Boxer Indemnity funds.↩
- John C. Ferguson, American, adviser to the former Chinese President and the National Government.↩
- President of the Chinese Executive Yuan (Premier) and Generalissimo.↩
- See Executive Order No. 4268, of July 16, 1925, Foreign Relations, 1925, vol. i, p. 935.↩