893.102 Tientsin/302: Telegram
The Consul General at Tientsin (Caldwell) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 24—12:35 p.m.]
121. I have just spent most of an hour in an amicable discussion with the Japanese Consul General of the difficulties being experienced by Americans and American interests on account of the present restrictions of the Japanese military and the need for devising measures which would remove or at least diminish these difficulties. He informed [Page 197] me that he could not yet give me a definite reply to my letter of June 21, but that the points which I took up in that letter are today being considered by the Japanese military in an effort to lessen the inconvenience being experienced by Americans.
He referred to the difficulty of openly discriminating between nationalities by requiring only certain persons to pass through the searching sheds, to which I replied that the existing discrimination is quite apparent and has been openly referred to in statements to the press by Japanese military spokesmen, and that I hope that some means would be found promptly to lessen the difficulties of Americans and American interests, to which end he promised to use his best efforts.
I consider it likely that some minor changes in favor of Americans will be made by the Japanese military as a result of the communication of the Tientsin American Chamber of Commerce and the representations which I have made, but that such changes will not by any means satisfy the needs of the case from our point of view. Moreover, the Japanese Consul General mentioned that if the present difficulties concerning the British Concession are not settled very soon, still more drastic measures, which must adversely affect all persons in the British and French Concessions, are to be anticipated. I was unable to obtain any information regarding the probable nature and date of application of such additional measures, but he denied a rumor current today that they are to be applied tomorrow.
The Japanese Consul General referred to conversations taking place at present in London and Tokyo, and stated that no negotiations were occurring here. He did not admit any intimation of the communications from the mayor of Tientsin referred to in my No. 117, June 24, 11 a.m.89
I took occasion to observe, as a matter between us personally, that in my opinion the treatment accorded at the barriers to certain British subjects by the Japanese sentries would create a very unfavorable impression in the United States, which would be most unfortunate, and he thanked me for my frank expression of opinion.
Repeated to Chungking, Peiping, Shanghai, Tokyo.
- Not printed.↩