Office of the Historian

751G.94/25: Telegram

The Ambassador in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State

Chungking, August 12, 1940—10 a.m.
[Received 10:32 a.m.]

394. My 393, August 12, 9 a.m. In acknowledging the receipt of the letter of August 10 from the Chinese Minister for Foreign Affairs, I said I would transmit its substance as requested but suggested that such matters could be handled in a more satisfactory manner [Page 72] through conversations and I referred to the oral message communicated by Peck25 to Hsu Mo on July 30. This message was the gist of the Department’s 124, July 20, 4 p.m. I recalled the salient points of the Department’s observations, emphasized the constant contact maintained by Hu Shih with officials of the American Government and expressed confidence that the Ambassador would be able to give the Minister such information regarding the Department’s views as the shifting circumstances might permit.

Sent to the Department. Repeated to Peiping. Peiping mail to Tokyo.

Johnson
  1. Willys R. Peck, Counselor of Embassy in China.↩