693.002/1174
Memorandum by the Chief of the Division of Far Eastern Affairs (Ballantine)
Reference is made to the attached letter from Mr. Currie of June 8, 1943,4 forwarding for consideration a letter from Mr. L. K. Little, an American citizen, long in the Chinese Maritime Customs Service and one of the senior Commissioners of that Service, who has been appointed to the post of Acting Inspector General of Customs in succession to Sir Frederick Maze, a British subject.
Mr. Little is the first American to hold the post of Inspector General of Customs. Before accepting the post Mr. Little informs us that he felt bound in duty to accept the post although he realized that he would be faced with many and perhaps insurmountable difficulties in his endeavors to prevent an apparently planned reorganization of the Customs to eliminate therefrom the foreign officers of various nationalities [Page 688] whose general integrity, ability, and devotion to duty are largely responsible for the maintenance of the Customs Service on an efficient revenue-producing basis.
While this Government has not in years past taken the active interest in the Customs and in the American members thereof which has been exhibited by the British, French, Japanese, and other Governments, there have been occasions when we have made approaches to the Chinese Government looking to the maintenance of the administrative integrity of the Customs, which has been the keystone of China’s foreign credit and on which have been secured a number of foreign loans. Also, on a number of occasions, between the commencement of the Sino-Japanese hostilities in 1937 and the outbreak of war between the United States and Japan we have cooperated with the Chinese Government in protesting against Japanese interference with the Customs in occupied territory. It is believed that we should continue, not only for the sake of American commercial interests but also for the sake of China’s own interests, to support and pursue a policy looking to the maintenance of an efficient Customs service and the retention of competently trained foreign personnel until such time as the need of their services in the reestablishment of the Customs Administration in the occupied areas has ceased to exist, and they can be replaced by competent and otherwise satisfactory Chinese officers.
It is accordingly suggested, with a view to facilitating Mr. Little’s task, that Mr. Welles5 or Mr. Hornbeck might take occasion to discuss the question of the Customs with Dr. T. V. Soong.6 Suggested comments which might be made to Dr. Soong in this connection are outlined in the underlying enclosure.7
It is believed that the issuance of a statement to the press, as suggested by Mr. Little, would accomplish no useful purpose, and in addition might well irritate the more extreme nationalistic elements in the Chinese Government who are understood to be desirious of eliminating all foreign influence from the Customs Service.
If the action proposed above is approved, it is suggested that FE be authorized to inform Mr. Currie orally of the decision reached.
- Not printed; Lauchlin Currie was Administrative Assistant to President Roosevelt.↩
- Sumner Welles, Under Secretary of State.↩
- Attached is a note by the Adviser on Political Relations (Hornbeck): “I concur in the above. I believe that the effectiveness of the making of comments to Dr. Soong would be much greater if done by Mr. Welles than if done by Mr. Hornbeck. SKH” Dr. T. V. Soong was Chinese Minister for Foreign Affairs, temporarily in the United States. On June 21 Mr. Welles informed Dr. Hornbeck that the Secretary of State had agreed with Mr. Welles that Dr. Hornbeck should take this up with Dr. Soong.↩
- Not printed.↩