893.0146/726
The British Embassy to the Department of State
Aide-Mémoire
The substance of the State Department’s Aide-Mémoire of September 27th regarding the situation in the Far East was duly communicated to His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom. His Majesty’s Embassy have now been informed that His Majesty’s Government, after giving careful consideration to every aspect of the question, have come to the conclusion that it is desirable to withdraw their garrisons from Tientsin and Peking as early as possible. It had always been their intention to withdraw these garrisons in the event of a European war, since they serve no essential military purpose, and since the trained personnel could more usefully be employed and are, indeed, needed elsewhere. This intention was only not carried out on the outbreak of war because of the Japanese pressure on His Majesty’s Government to withdraw the garrisons. That pressure is not being exercised for the present, and it is felt that sufficient time has now elapsed since the Japanese “friendly advice” was given to enable His Majesty’s Government to withdraw their garrisons without loss of prestige on that score.
Moreover, owing to the recent disastrous floods at Tientsin, the barracks are now uninhabitable, and the cost of repairing them would be very considerable. If the barracks are not to be repaired, the garrisons must be withdrawn before the cold weather sets in at the end of November and the necessary arrangements for their removal for shipping and escort and accommodation elsewhere must be made as soon as possible. A definite decision on the question of withdrawal must therefore be taken in the near future.
[Page 292]His Majesty’s Government would naturally have preferred to postpone the withdrawal until after a settlement had been reached of the negotiations regarding Tientsin and the silver and currency questions. It now seems however as if these negotiations should be regarded as being more or less indefinitely suspended, and that being so, for the reasons given above, His Majesty’s Government consider that the present is the best time to effect the withdrawal of the garrisons.
In coming to this conclusion His Majesty’s Government have not been unmindful of the interest of the United States Government in the matter, and they wish to make it clear that it is no part of their present intention to withdraw their troops from Shanghai, where American interests are so much more important than they are in North China. Nevertheless His Majesty’s Government appreciate that the United States Government, in common with His Majesty’s Government and other Powers, have jointly contributed towards the maintenance of their common obligations under the Boxer Protocol, and that at the present moment they maintain troops in Tientsin and Peking to safeguard their rights.
His Majesty’s Government have however at the present moment when they are engaged in war in Europe very cogent and practical reasons as set forth above for withdrawing their troops from North China. They realise that the United States Government will hardly welcome such a withdrawal, but even so they trust that the United States Government will appreciate the difficulties of the position in which His Majesty’s Government finds itself and will not take exception to the steps which they are now contemplating.