693.002/904: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Consul General at Shanghai (Gauss)
304. Your despatch 2361, July 19, 1939,95 in regard to the proposed assignment of a Commissioner of Customs of American nationality to Shanghai.
[Page 853]The Department concurs in your view that the assignment of officers of the Chinese Maritime Customs is a matter of internal administration of the Customs service in which the American Government would feel that it should not interfere. At the same time, if an American citizen were assigned as Commissioner at Shanghai and there developed opposition from any foreign source to his appointment, the Department might, in its discretion, be inclined to inquire into the reason for such opposition and if the situation appeared to warrant such action, to make representations, in accordance with the position which this Government has consistently maintained, to the effect that the integrity of the Customs administration should be respected and that the Inspector General should be free to assign Customs personnel as the requirements of the service might dictate.
You may so inform the Inspector General.
Sent to Shanghai. Shanghai please repeat to Tokyo. Repeated to Chungking and Peiping.
- Not printed.↩