893.102 Kulangsu/286: Telegram
The Consul at Amoy (MacVitty) to the Secretary of State
[Received January 21—7:35 a.m.]
3. The information requested in the Department’s telegram No. 19 to Peiping, January 18, 7 p.m.,74 was perhaps given in my telegram of May [January] 18, noon; further details follow:
Early in the month the Japanese members of the Municipal Council at a meeting of the Council requested consideration of an increase in the 1940 budget to include funds for 10 additional Formosan police. A few days later the assassination of Ng, a puppet, occurred and the Japanese Navy stopped all traffic with the mainland. On January 15 the Japanese military authorities75 sent for the chairman of the Municipal Council76 and presented him with a letter stressing the [Page 835] necessity of the engagement by the Council of 10 additional Formosan police and requesting that the budget estimates be so prepared that these expenditures would be cared for. Mr. Hitchcock upon receiving the letter told Uchida “that the situation bore a striking resemblance to that of the summer of 1939 where he was saying ‘give me an inspector and I will lift the blockade’ and his attitude in both cases seemed to be ‘give me 10 police and I will lift the blockade.’” It may be stated that the sentiments expressed by Mr. Hitchcock are those of all the third power nationals in the Settlement.
As stated in my telegram of January 18, noon, limitations on traffic have been withdrawn and the matter of additional police representation has been referred to a committee of the representative payers.
The whole incident has been closed by amicable negotiations and an absence of threats, other than the interference with traffic. However, it seems certain that the Japanese took advantage of the Ng assassination to try to stampede the Council into granting additional police representation.
Repeated to Peiping and Chungking.