893.102S/1846: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in China (Johnson)
139. Your 447, July 19, 8 a.m. The Department inclines to the opinion that no acknowledgment need be made to the Chinese Foreign Office note of July 13. However, in the event that the issue is again raised by the Chinese Government or that you feel that a definitely useful purpose would be likely to be served by making reply, the Department authorizes you to make reply along the lines of your draft but suggests that in the initial paragraph thereof there be avoided use of the terms “bogus” and “terrorist”. Department also suggests that there be deleted from the last sentence of the concluding paragraph “The American Embassy is accordingly” and that there be substituted therefor a statement such as “In view of these considerations it is believed that the Chinese Government will readily understand why the American Embassy is”.
Sent to Chungking. Repeated to Peiping and Shanghai.