893.0146/813
The British Ambassador (Lothian) to the Acting Secretary of State
Sir: Under instructions from His Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs I have the honour to inform you that His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom have decided to withdraw for service elsewhere the military garrisons which they have hitherto maintained in China at Shanghai, Peking and Tientsin.
As regards the withdrawal of the troops from North China I have the honour to inform you that His Majesty’s Government reserve all [Page 417] their treaty rights under the Peking Protocol of September 7th, 1901,41 until such time as the said Protocol has been amended or abrogated by agreement between the Powers concerned.42
I have [etc.]
- Foreign Relations, 1901, Appendix (Affairs in China), p. 312.↩
- The Acting Secretary of State acknowledged receipt of this British note in a note dated August 13.↩