693.002/1151: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in China (Gauss)
663. Your 855, July 20, 1 p.m. Your telegram under reference was received in garbled condition and is not entirely clear. As regards the reference to “the Treasury law”, please inform the Department of the official title of the law in translation and the date of its promulgation, forwarding a translation if obtainable by air mail.
Meanwhile it is suggested that you talk over this matter informally with the British Ambassador3 and with Mr. Currie4 who, as you know, has been specially interested in various aspects of Chinese financial matters and who may assumably discuss some of those matters with Chinese officials. It occurs to us that in connection with such discussions Mr. Currie might, if such action should seem advisable, make comment to Chinese officials which would be helpful in regard to this matter.
We incline to the view expressed by you in the third paragraph of your telegram that representations, especially formal representations, might not be well received. We therefore suggest that in any approach that may be made it would be desirable not to adopt a too insistent attitude and to present our views not in legalistic terms or in terms of national or private economic interests but in terms of the fact that the Chinese Maritime Customs as it now functions is a sound institution which has demonstrated its advantages to China and to all concerned over a long period of time.