893.102 Tientsin/369: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chargé in Japan (Dooman)
218. Peiping’s 354, July 18, 5 p.m., and Chungking’s 448, July 19, 11 a.m.,23 last two sentences. The Department has for some time been considering the advisability of making known to the Japanese Government the growing concern with which increasing anti-foreign propaganda in the areas of China under Japanese control is being viewed by the people as well as the Government of the United States. The Department concurs with the Embassy in China that such propaganda and related anti-foreign acts are detrimental to the interests of third power nationals in general and are accordingly working injury upon American nationals in China. It is the Department’s opinion that the danger in this situation, which seems to be expanding, is so potentially serious that we cannot ignore it.
Unless you perceive objection, please seek an early opportunity to call on an appropriate officer of the Japanese Foreign Office and make to him orally a statement substantially as follows:
The American Government is deeply concerned in regard to the effect upon American nationals and interests in China of the present virulent campaign of agitation directed in particular against foreigners of one nationality in the areas controlled by Japanese armed forces. It has been the experience in the past that the Chinese masses, when anti-foreign feeling is aroused, have frequently shown an inability to distinguish between and among certain nationalities, and that consequently ill feeling directed against one nationality spreads to include others, with adverse effects upon the rights and interests of foreigners who were not originally and specifically singled out for abuse of this nature. Within the past year this tendency has not been entirely lacking in such places as Shanghai, Peiping, and Nanking, where utterances by members of local régimes, reportedly inspired by Japanese agents, have not infrequently included statements assailing the United States and its nationals. Our reports indicate that the present agitation directed nominally against British nationals and interests in China, which is becoming increasing violent and widespread, is being instigated and fostered by Japanese agents and Japanese-controlled agencies. Adverse effects upon American interests have already come to our notice, and it is our belief that the continuance of such agitation, even though the agitation may not be specifically directed against American nationals, will be regarded in this country (a) as an indirect onset by Japanese agencies against American nationals and interests in China and (b) as an indication of the methods which those agencies might in due course employ directly against American nationals and interests. The undesirable potentialities in this situation impel us to regard the [Page 357] apparently deliberate effort to arouse anti-foreign feeling among Chinese as a serious development, in relation to our interests.
Sent to Tokyo via Shanghai. Repeated to Chungking, Peiping, Hankow, Tsingtao and Swatow.
- Neither printed.↩