Office of the Historian

893.102 Kulangsu/263: Telegram

The Consul at Amoy (MacVitty) to the Secretary of State

Amoy, September 26, 1939—9 p.m.
[Received September 26—3:06 p.m.]

Department’s 204, September 25, 4 p.m., to Peiping. By an error in coding my September 15, 4 p.m. “inspector general of police” was inserted for “inspector of police”. No new elements had appeared in the situation but it was felt that the Municipal Council “capitulated” when it finally gave in to the Japanese demand for a police inspector which it had resisted all summer despite various coercive measures which precluded friendly negotiations based on reasonable requests.

A summary of the Municipal Council’s proposals to the Japanese Consul General, to the main points of which he has agreed, follows:

(1)
Complete cooperation between Municipal Council and the Japanese consular police to end all subversive activities.
(2)
To appoint immediately one Japanese inspector of police to rank with Russian inspector and one sergeant of police.
(3)
The appointment of 10 additional Formosan police to be referred to the annual ratepayer’s meeting.
(4)
The question of the appointment of Chinese members of the Council and franchise of Formosans to be postponed, but when revived to be referred to the powers signatory to the land regulations.
(5)
No restrictions to be placed on traffic between mainland and Settlement except inspection of junks by municipal and consular police at jetties.
(7 [6?])
Japanese to give assurances that the Amoy Government will adhere to the spirit of this agreement.

[Page 161]

Sent to Peiping. Repeated to the Department, Chungking, Shanghai. Peiping please repeat to Tokyo.

MacVitty