Office of the Historian

893.102S/2464: Telegram

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

Chungking, April 15, 1941—10 a.m.
[Received April 15—6:10 a.m.]

Shanghai’s April 14, 1 p.m.

1.
Neither the Embassy here nor the Foreign Office are altogether clear as to how the four Chinese members were to be selected. The Chinese authorities apparently were not consulted when the plan for the provisional council was formulated; they feel that the plan which has been devised will not ameliorate the situation in Shanghai to any marked extent; and in reluctantly agreeing to the plan that has been advanced they have proposed two conditions obviously in order to preserve their rights vis-à-vis the Japanese and the Wang regime. It is only natural that their acquiescence in the plan could be obtained only on condition that Chinese rights are not wholly sacrificed. According to the fourth and fifth paragraphs of page 9 of Shanghai’s political report for February,1 the Chinese Ratepayers Association has already selected the 5 Chinese councilors for the Council in 1941. The Chinese Government has indicated its acceptance of these 5 and the chief existing problem would seem to be the elimination of 1 of [Page 851] them and the designation of the other 4 to sit on the provisional council. The Consular Body should be able to make a selection. As I understand it, the plan calls for action by the Consuls who are to appoint the new commission or provisional council. The panel of Chinese appointees already exists. For the Chinese Government itself to select these men would introduce a political aspect to the status of councilors such as has never before existed. Their absence from Shanghai at this time it seems to the Embassy is a matter of no great concern.
2.
With regard to the operative period of the provisional council, the Foreign Minister advanced the condition that it should be operative for a period of not more than 2 years. So far as I know he would not be disposed to reject a period of less than 2 years.

Sent to Shanghai, repeated to the Department and Peiping.

Johnson
  1. Not printed.↩