893.102 Kulangsu/226: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the Chargé in Japan (Dooman)
264. Department’s 228, July 29, 2 p.m. and your 378, August 1, 5 p.m. The Department requests that you seek an early occasion to approach the Foreign Office and go over the matter again with Yoshizawa along the lines of the last substantive paragraph of Department’s 228. Point out that the Department naturally regarded Suma’s call on July 13 (Department’s 24, July 14, 4 p.m. to Amoy) and his call on July 26 (Department’s 228) as indication of a desire to seek with American cooperation a reasonable solution of the situation at Kulangsu, and this assumption seemed to be supported by your conversation with Yoshizawa reported in your 339, July 18, 7 p.m. Concrete evidence, however, of any trend toward reasonableness on the part of the local Japanese authorities at Amoy has been lacking and the Japanese authorities there have continued to employ coercive measures to obtain their ends. We are not disposed to counsel American and other affected interests to yield to such coercive measures, and we feel that, by our instructions and suggestions to the American Consul at Amoy, by his earnest efforts toward the reaching of an appropriate adjustment, and by sending a Japanese speaking officer to Amoy to facilitate discussions, we have done everything possible under the circumstances to make manifest our desire for a reasonable settlement and to meet the Japanese more than half-way. We now look to the Japanese authorities to take some concrete reciprocal action which may help to resolve the situation satisfactorily.
The Department is considering ordering Benninghoff, who has been in Amoy since August 2, to return to Peiping where his services are needed. The Department would appreciate your and MacVitty’s comments as to whether it would be advisable for Benninghoff to remain at Amoy for a further short period.
Sent to Tokyo via Shanghai. Repeated to Peiping, Chungking, Amoy.