793.94/16966
The Ambassador in China (Gauss) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 27.]
Summary
Sir: The Japanese Expeditionary Force in north China has always been a strong advocate of the complete autonomy of north China; its functions however are primarily military. Other agencies in this area are the Army-dominated Asia Development Board, the Japanese Army Special Service Section and the Japanese Gendarmerie, each of which functions to a large degree independently of the other. Since the establishment of the Asia Development Board, the authority of the Japanese Foreign Office in China has been seriously curtailed, and the inability of the civil authorities to curb the activities of the military may account in part for the frequent futility of “third-power” diplomatic representations made in connection with acts committed by the Japanese military in China. Even though, on the termination of hostilities in China, the Japanese military may be withdrawn, it seems probable that the Asia Development Board or some similar agency representing Japanese vested interests will continue to function in north China and will prove to be a formidable obstacle to a settlement satisfactory to China, Japan and third-power interests.72
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Respectfully yours,
Counselor of Embassy
- In a memorandum of November 28 the Adviser on Political Relations (Hornbeck) said: “This situation cannot be untangled or be made to work by agreements. Either the Japanese stay in and govern China (it being more than doubtful whether they are capable of governing the Chinese) or the Japanese military get out (through operation—which will require time—of many forces too strong for them to overcome) and their ‘carpet-baggers’ get out and the Chinese govern in their own country.”↩