125.633/12–1748: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Stuart) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 19—6:55 a. m.]
2554. Re Deptel December 10 sent Hong Kong 381, repeated Nanking 1085 [1805]. French Ambassador, Nanking, states that French Embassy Washington must have received distorted message to effect that all US citizens in Mukden were interned their houses. All that local French Embassy received this subject from Mukden was general telegraphic report about November 20 predicting that police cordon would be placed around all foreign Consulates.
French Embassy has received no telegrams from French ConGen Mukden for at least 3 weeks and assumes ConGen has either had transmitter confiscated or fears to use it at this stage. Furthermore, French Ambassador states most confidentially that transmitter in Mukden is under control of French Intelligence Agency, that he has no authority over it, and that transmitter communicates directly with Saigon. However, he has promised to request authorities at Saigon to obtain information concerning status and welfare of our ConGen at Mukden. In addition, French have also inaugurated system of sending messages to Mukden and return by means of Chinese travellers from Tientsin. French Embassy claims one such traveller now en route to Mukden and has promised to inform us on return messages, if any, which he brings.
Both French and British Embassies Nanking have informed us that they are also attempting reestablish communications Mukden via [Page 847] Chinese Communists Hong Kong but that they also have met with no success in this regard.
Sent Department 2554; repeated Mukden 205, Tientsin 241, Hong Kong 99, Shanghai 1286, Saigon 7.