Foreign Relations of the United States, Diplomatic Papers, 1941, The Far East, Volume V

893.102S/2505

The Chinese Embassy to the Department of State ¹⁵

Memorandum

The Chinese Government appreciates the concern of the United States Government over the present situation in the International Settlement at Shanghai, and but for weighty reasons would be willing to meet the views as expressed in the memorandum under reply.¹⁶

The attitude of the Chinese Government concerning the proposed provisional council has been made abundantly clear in verbal statements communicated to the American and British Embassies as well as in written statements issued by the Minister of Foreign Affairs on April 19, 1941.¹⁷ In a spirit of cooperation the Chinese Government signified its willingness to acquiesce in the proposed arrangement only on condition that (1) every one of the four Chinese members of the new council should be a member of the then functioning council and (2) that the proposed arrangement should be operative for not more than two years. Failing fulfillment of both these conditions the Chinese Government was obliged to make known the fact that neither the setting up of the provisional council nor the modification of any provisions of the land regulations had received the approval of the Government.

The United States Government has now expressed the hope that the Chinese Government acquiesce in the arrangement proposed in the resolution adopted by the foreign ratepayers’ association in Shanghai on April 17, 1941 and deal separately with the question of selection of Chinese membership. The Chinese Government is of the opinion that the question of Chinese membership is of vital importance in the consideration of the proposal relating to the provisional council and regrets to state that it cannot give consent, express or tacit, to the establishment of such provisional council before the question of Chinese membership is settled.

The Chinese Government insisted and still insists, as regards the composition of the provisional council, that the Chinese members should be chosen from among those who have already been lawfully selected by the Chinese ratepayers’ association. It has now been learned that two puppet nominees have been accepted by the new council and actually took part in its deliberations at the first meeting. This is the very state of affairs which the Chinese Government and Chinese residents in the International Settlement at Shanghai endeavor to guard against. The Chinese Government is constrained to reemphasize that it will never acquiesce in the establishment of any kind of municipal council in the International Settlement with even one puppet representative as member.

It is hoped that the United States Government will be able to appreciate fully the views set forth above.

Washington , May 21, 1941.

15. Handed to the Assistant Chief of the Division of Far Eastern Affairs (Atcheson) by the Chinese Ambassador (Hu Shih) on May 21; text of memorandum already had been transmitted to the Department by the Second Secretary of Embassy in China at Chungking (Drumright), who received it from the Chinese Ministry for Foreign Affairs on May 16 (telegram No. 193, May 17, 10 a.m. (893.102S/2499), not printed).
16. Ante, p. 862.
17. For written statement under reference, see telegram No. 145, April 20, 9 a.m., from the Ambassador in China, p. 857.