893.0140/752
The British Embassy to the Department of State
Aide-Mémoire
His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom have given further consideration to the position of the British garrisons in Tientsin and Peking in the light of the recent conversation on this subject between the Secretary of State and His Majesty’s Ambassador. They [Page 307] have now decided that the British battalion at present stationed in North China should be withdrawn. Token forces consisting of company headquarters and two platoons will however be left at Tientsin and one platoon will be left at Peking. These token forces will amount to approximately 175 men. These men will be drawn from the British battalion now stationed at Shanghai and it is proposed to despatch them to North China pari passu with the withdrawal of the battalion from Tientsin.
In informing the Department of State of this decision of His Majesty’s Government, His Majesty’s Embassy has been instructed to request that the information be kept strictly confidential for the time being.