793.003/994: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 10—3:27 p.m.]
6322. I have just received the following letter dated November 10 from Mr. Eden.
“I am writing to you on a further point connected with our draft treaty with China abolishing extraterritorial rights. You may recollect that article 6 of the British draft gives Chinese nationals the right to ‘travel, reside and carry on commerce’ throughout the territories covered by the treaty. It does not give the right of entry. There is a similar provision in the American draft. The Chinese are very likely to raise this point, and although we can, so far as the United Kingdom is concerned, grant the right of entry (since there is at present no immigration legislation discriminating against Chinese in this country) there are likely to be serious difficulties in the Dominions and some of the Colonies.
For this reason I should be most grateful for any indication you can give me of the way in which your Government, if confronted with this issue by the Chinese, would propose to reply.”