893.102S/1846: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 19—7:30 a.m.]
447. Following is Embassy’s translation of a note from the Chinese Foreign Office dated July 13.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs presents its compliments to the American Embassy and has the honor to state that since the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese conflict, the Japanese, their puppet organs and other organizations, have constantly been taking advantage of the concessions at various places for undertaking all kinds of utterances, activities and terrorist acts prejudicial to the Chinese Government and the Chinese people, the serious nature of which were mentioned in the Ministry’s reply of June 969 to the Embassy’s aide-mémoire.
There has recently been a tendency toward further intensification of these activities. The Ministry in inditing this third person note has the honor to request that the Embassy cause instructions to be issued to the authorities of the International Settlement at Shanghai to pay regard to the attitude hitherto adopted by the American Government; and to give special attention to, and strictly restrict, the aforementioned utterances, activities and terrorist acts of the Japanese and the bogus and other organizations, so as to maintain order and further friendly relations”.
Subject to the Department’s approval I propose to return the following reply.
“The American Embassy presents its compliments to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the Ministry’s third person note of July 13, 1939 asking that the Embassy cause instructions to be issued to the authorities of the International Settlement at Shanghai to pay regard to the attitude hitherto adopted by the American Government and to restrict the utterances, activities, and terrorist acts of the Japanese and the bogus and other organizations in the International Settlement that are prejudicial to the Chinese Government and the Chinese people.
The American Embassy has the honor to recall that in the aide-mémoire [Page 67] it handed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on May 22, 1939, the attention of the Chinese Government was invited to the fact that the development of Shanghai as a great Chinese port has been accomplished by the combined efforts of the nationals of many countries and that it is because of its international character that the International Settlement at Shanghai has afforded protection both to Chinese and to foreign lives and interests in times of special stress. It necessarily follows from the international character of this area that no one nation has either the authority or the right to enforce on the Municipal Council its own attitude towards the public affairs dealt with by the Council. The American Embassy is accordingly not in a position to comply with the request of the Ministry that it cause instructions to be issued to the authorities of the International Settlement in the sense indicated.
The Ministry’s communication under reference has been brought, however, to the knowledge of the Department and of the American Consulate General in Shanghai.”
Repeated to Shanghai and Peiping.