611.930/209: Telegram
The Consul General at Shanghai (Gauss) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 31—1:55 p.m.]
959. Reference Department’s 11, October 26, 7 p.m., to Swatow regarding linen shipments. Shanghai exporters with Swatow connections, including Lian Brothers, principal shipper from Swatow, [Page 468] deny any such donation was made. They state both shipments were arranged entirely through Mitsui Bussan Kaisha to whom freight charges were paid at the rate of Chinese dollars 598 per ton, as against Chinese dollars 15 per ton prior to hostilities. They add that about Chinese dollars 500 per ton were required to “arrange” shipments, which totaled about 800 tons, but that they have no knowledge of allocation of part of this sum to Welfare Committee for purposes alleged.
Repeated to Peiping and Swatow.