893.111/409: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in China (Johnson)
243. Your despatch 2249, September 13,77 Chinese Government Travel Regulations. Under present conditions in China, the Department would not be disposed to question action by the Chinese Government restricting on a temporary and emergency basis travel by Americans and other foreigners in certain areas, provided that the restrictions appeared to be reasonable and warranted. However, the regulations under reference, involving prohibition of travel by foreigners in large areas of China including an entire province, appear to be unreasonably restrictive. It is felt that no useful purpose would be served by taking issue with the Chinese Government on the general subject at this time, but the Department expects that the Embassy and consular offices in China will examine into restrictions on the travel of American citizens in China with a view to making representations to the appropriate Chinese authorities calculated to facilitate the travel of Americans in individual cases in which restrictions appear, in the light of the views expressed in the first two sentences of this telegram, to be unreasonable and unwarranted.
Sent to Peiping. Repeated to Chungking.
- Not printed.↩