493.11/2255
The Secretary of State to the Chinese Ambassador (Hu Shih)
My Dear Mr. Ambassador: I have received your communication of April 3, 1939, and have noted the statement to the effect that the Chinese Government particularly regrets that circumstances have forced it to defer temporarily during the period of hostilities in China the payment of the Indemnity of 1901.
I regret the existence of the conditions which, as you state, cause your Government with much reluctance to bring this matter to the attention of the American Government, The educational and cultural activities which the remissions of the American share of the Indemnity have supported in China have, I believe, proven beneficial to the Chinese people and have constituted an important factor for goodwill between the Chinese people and the American people. The cessation of that support would have a most unfortunate effect upon Tsinghua University and other projects and individuals dependent for support upon the remitted payments. I am therefore pleased to note that, in your conversation with Mr. Hamilton on April 5,74 you were in position to state that, if educational and scientific institutions which are being supported by American remissions of indemnity should experience difficulties, the Chinese Government would endeavor to do what it could to meet their needs.
I am [etc.]
- Memorandum of conversation not printed.↩