893.102S/1741: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Consul General at Shanghai (Gauss)
65. Your 141, February 23, 8 p.m., and Tokyo’s 105, February 23, 6 p.m. The Department feels that, if representations are to be made at Chungking as suggested by you, such action should be coupled with an approach at Tokyo. In view of the discussions that are now taking place at Shanghai in regard to this matter the Department desires that the question of when to make approaches in Tokyo and Chungking be left to your discretion in consultation with Ambassador Grew. [Page 6] Chungking should defer making representations to the Chinese Government until advised by the Embassy at Tokyo that Tokyo has acted or is prepared to act there. Before reaching a decision with regard to action it is believed that you and Ambassador Grew will wish to consult your respective British colleagues.
- 2.
- It is suggested that the representations at Chungking take the form of an oral approach urging the Chinese Government, in view of the seriously adverse effect upon maintenance of peace and order in the International Settlement which is created by the attacks of terrorists, to take such steps as it appropriately can toward discouraging such attacks.
- 3.
- It is suggested that the Embassy at Tokyo in its approach state that it is expected that the Japanese authorities will give due consideration to the rights and interests of all concerned and that the Embassy point out that the authorities of the International Settlement have taken and may be counted on to take all practicable precautions but that conditions in areas outside of the boundaries of the Settlement and under Japanese control have contributed in no small measure to conditions of disturbance and violence within the Settlement. In making its approach Tokyo should have in mind Department’s No. 28 of January 11, 6 p.m., 1938, to Shanghai,12 which was repeated to Tokyo, and might make use of the ideas expressed in the fourth substantive paragraph of that telegram.
Please repeat to Tokyo.
Repeated to Chungking and Peiping.