751.93/97: Telegram
The Chargé in China ( Atcheson ) to the Secretary of State
[Received 10:29 p.m.]
1777. Sino-French relations. 1. Opportunity arose September 21 in conversation with the Acting Foreign Minister1 for me to carry out the Department’s instructions contained in Department’s 1230, September 2. Dr. Wu gave a lengthy exposition along the lines of our 1613, September 1,2 except that he indicated that the Chinese Government definitely desires that Coiffard3 be replaced. He said that the Chinese Government had a whole-hearted desire to maintain the most friendly relations and to collaborate with the French National Committee and that confidentially the Chinese Government was selecting a French and English speaking Chinese of prestige to be stationed in Algiers. He said that in taking over administration of the railway the Chinese Government had been motivated upon the breaking of relations with Vichy by considerations relating to Indochina, the attitude to which in AOF [apparent garble] whose governor (Decoux) was in doubt; that the Chinese action was of course a temporary war time measure; and that no question had been raised as to ownership of the railway. He said that the seizure of the hospital was a bad mistake and that the Central Government had issued strict orders for its return to the French and also for full protection of French nationals and rights. He said that the Chinese authorities liked Peckhoff, head of military delegation, and Laurin, deputy chief of the civil delegation, and the Foreign Office was continuing to discuss matters with them.
Our conversation was on a quite personal and private basis and accordingly in response to an indirect inquiry whether the Department had taken cognizance of the situation, I said that we had received some inquiry from Washington, and that as indicated in statements in connection with the limited recognition of the French Committee our Government was of course interested in the same friend in that it had an interest in all of its Allies and friends and was especially interested in the maintaining and increasing of unity and friendship among the United Nations and the Allies for the prosecution of the war which was the principal task of all. Dr. Wu repeated his assurances several times and I told him that when the Chinese representative to Algiers was appointed we would be glad to inform our people there in regard to him in the hope of facilitating the establishment of [Page 891] the cordial and hopeful relations which customarily exists between the representatives of our two countries.
The British Ambassador4 informs me that under instruction he recently made inquiries in regard to Sino-French relations but that Dr. Wu had not made to him any clear statement that the Chinese action in regard to the railway was a temporary war time measure and he felt that the situation [apparent omission].5
- K. C. Wu, Chinese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs.↩
- Not printed.↩
- Jacques Coiffard, Chief of (Free) French Civil Delegation at Chungking.↩
- Sir Horace James Seymour.↩
- In telegram No. 1802, September 25, 1 p.m. the Ambassador in China reported that the British Ambassador had explained “that he had not received from Dr. Wu any clear statement as to the future”. (751.93/98)↩