893.102 Kulangsu/206a: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Consul at Amoy (MacVitty)
24. The Counselor of the Japanese Embassy called on July 13 at the Department to discuss the situation at Kulangsu. He stated that the Japanese Government was anxious to resolve the issues there and withdraw its landing party as soon as possible and that the only two outstanding immediate issues were the questions of (a) the appointment of a Japanese Inspector of Police to rank second to the Chief [Page 134] of the Settlement Police, and (b) the employment of 10 additional Formosan constables. He indicated that the Japanese Consul General at Amoy had been attempting to get in touch with the Municipal Council with a view to working out a settlement of these issues.
The Counselor was informed that we were also anxious that an early settlement of the difficulties at Kulangsu be reached among the various authorities concerned on some reasonable and amicable basis; that we believed that threats of force and acts, such as the blockade between Amoy and the Settlement, which might be interpreted as coercive acts, made the reaching of a settlement all the more difficult, and that as the Settlement was an international organization in which a number of governments had interests, there were involved fundamental principles which we considered highly important. It was pointed out to him that Japanese nationals have a relatively large representation on the Municipal Council and in the police force; that the Council had agreed to cooperation of 30 Japanese consular police with the Settlement police in regard to certain police activities; that although the Council was reportedly unable financially to meet in full Japanese requests for additional police representation, it had nevertheless increased the original 5 Formosan constables to 12, offered to promote the Japanese Subinspector to the rank of Inspector, agreed to the employment of 3 Japanese constables, and signified its willingness to refer the question of the appointment of a Japanese Inspector and of 12 additional Formosan constables to the annual ratepayers’ meeting (presumably to be held in January 1940). In this latter connection the Counselor was informed that Japanese proposals which, if adopted, would entail financial commitments beyond the resources of the Municipal Council could hardly be regarded as reasonable. It was added that reports had been received to the effect that the Japanese blockade had greatly increased the expenses of the Council because the burden of providing food and fuel for the large number of poor Chinese in the Settlement fell upon that body.
The Counselor was also informed that the American Consul had been instructed to use his influence with the Council to obtain full consideration of reasonable Japanese proposals.
The Counselor said that he assumed that it is not intended to apply any mathematical formula of representation in regard to the question of the employment of a Japanese Inspector and 12 additional Formosan constables and he asked whether, in the light of the situation in and around Amoy, we perceived objection to the post of Second in Command of Police being held by a Japanese. He was informed that so far as we knew there was no idea of adopting a mathematically perfect formula as a basis for considering appointments to the police force of the Settlement and that, while we did not have [Page 135] sufficient knowledge of the local situation to express a definitive view, we perceived no objection in principle to the secondary post in police being filled by a Japanese. It was pointed out to him that there were, however, other questions involved, namely, the financial capacity of the Municipal Council, the appointment of Japanese in other capacities, the question of threats of force and coercive acts and the questions regarding the filling of the Chinese vacancies on the Council and the enfranchisement of Formosans which, we had been informed, the Japanese Consul General insisted on holding in reservation for future discussion.
Reference was made to discussions of the Kulangsu situation between the Japanese Foreign Office and the American Embassy at Tokyo, and to the possibility that it might be helpful if the Foreign Office would inform the Embassy more in detail of the Foreign Office’s views.
The Department assumes that, pursuant to the spirit and intent of its previous instructions, you are accessible to the Japanese Consul General for discussion on a personal as well as on a formal official basis of the problems at issue, and it is suggested that you may find it feasible to explore with him at some opportune time in a purely personal and informal way, perhaps “off the record”, any reasonable suggestions he might have for reaching an adjustment of the present impasse. The Department does not feel that it is in position to offer specific suggestions. It occurs to the Department, however, that the door might be kept open for discussion by renewal of the Council’s offers to promote the Japanese Subinspector to Inspector, or by offering to replace the Japanese Subinspector by a Japanese Inspector, or by substituting for the Japanese constables the proposed Japanese Inspector, or possibly to resolve the question as to the number of Chinese constables and Formosan constables on some representative basis in approximate conformity to the number of Chinese and Formosan residents of the Settlement.
As indicated above, these are not specific suggestions on which you are instructed to act. The Department feels, however, that the Japanese desire to reach an adjustment may open the way for further discussion in a possibly more amicable atmosphere than may have obtained in the past. The Department realizes that you are faced with a trying situation and that certain of the personalities involved may offer additional difficulties, but is confident that you will continue tactfully to seek a means of progressing toward a reasonable adjustment of the situation.
Repeated to Chungking and Peiping. Shanghai please repeat to Tokyo.