711.942/195: Telegram

The Ambassador in China ( Johnson ) to the Secretary of State

479. Under date July 29 the Minister for Foreign Affairs65 issued the following statement concerning denunciation of the treaty of 1911:

“America has always been known for her sense of justice and China always has unswerving faith in the American people.

Secretary of State Hull has given Japan 6 months’ notice for the termination of America’s treaty of amity and commerce of 1911 with Japan, because it contains provisions ‘which need new considerations’. In coming to this decision the American Government has, I am sure, taken into full consideration the great ‘disorder in East Asia’, from a political as well as commercial point of view, which has been brought about by the Japanese militarists.

The Chinese people welcome the announcement of the termination of this treaty as an indication of the desire of the United States to maintain its position and prestige in the Pacific region. May this prestige [presage?] a more definite and positive attitude on the part of the United States Government to do what is in its power to stop international lawlessness and restore peace, confidence and good will among nations.

America is in a position to exert a decisive influence on peace in this and other parts of the world without resorting to war. The strength, the prestige, and the public opinion of the great Republic on the other side of the Pacific, if unequivocally manifested by an overt act, is sufficient to turn the scale in favor of international justice, law and order.”

Repeated to Peiping.

Johnson
  1. Wang Chung-hui.