893.4061 MP/8–1148
The Ambassador in China (Stuart) to the
Secretary of State
No. 343
Nanking, August 11, 1948.
[Received August
26.]
The Ambassador has the honor to refer to his telegram No. 1288 of July 14
concerning censorship regulations on showing of motion pictures in China and
to enclose for the information of the Department a copy of the note on this
subject from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs1 together with a copy of the Embassy’s reply thereto
protesting this action by the Chinese Government. The chief of the press
bureau of the Foreign Office has called at the Embassy to discuss the
Embassy’s reply. He stated that this action was directed solely at the
Soviet Union and the films which it has been showing in Sinkiang, Peiping
and Tientsin; but that the Chinese Government did not feel it is in a
position to take action solely against the Soviets. He added that the United
States is the only Government which has protested the regulations so far. He
then went on to say that the Foreign Office regretted the necessity of this
action and that he hoped this Embassy could cooperate with him in drafting a
reply to the Embassy’s note which would be mutually satisfactory since he
felt sure the mechanics
[Page 735]
of
censorship could be handled expeditiously and that in any event there was
not the slightest intent to restrict the showing of any American motion
pictures.
In reply he was informed that the Embassy was not objecting to the
inconvenience of censorship as he could tell from our note, but rather that
we were protesting the principle of censorship. The United States is
publicly committed to the principle of freedom of information, not only by
its own actions but also by its obligations to the United Nations. The same
applies to China. Therefore, it would be difficult to see how the United
States could compromise with this principle. The director then stated that
there seemed to be nothing gained from further discussion. He implied that
there was no chance of any modification in the regulations.
The Embassy is increasingly concerned at what appears to be a growing
tendency of the Chinese Government to impose blanket restrictions and when
queried on the reasons therefore, to blame it all on the Soviets. It is
difficult at the moment to estimate just how much of this line of reasoning
is actually attributable to Chinese fears of the Soviets and how much of it
is just simply convenient alibi to cover up what they really want to do. The
Embassy is following this situation and will report more fully at a later
date. It is quite true, as the Department is aware, that both the
Generalissimo2 and Foreign
Minister3 on various
occasions have stated that because of American commitments in Europe, China
will at this time take no action which might irritate or annoy the Soviets.
Part of the motivation behind these statements is unquestionably fear, but
it is also difficult to resist the suspicion that another part of the
motivation is rather unsubtle form of blackmail. The Embassy would venture a
suggestion that there is little in the experience of dealing with the
Soviets which would warrant the hope that this kind of tenderness for Soviet
susceptibilities is calculated to deviate them from their ultimate
objectives. In this connection the Department is referred to the Embassy’s
despatch No. 344 and airgram No. A–207.4
[Enclosure]
The American Embassy to
the Chinese Ministry for Foreign
Affairs
No. 601
The Embassy of the United States of America presents its compliments to
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China
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and has the honor to refer to the
Ministry’s third person note No. Wai–(37)–Ching–Erh/16259 of July 10,
1948,5 concerning the
issuance of permits by the Ministry of the Interior for the exhibition
of foreign-made motion pictures, including those lent to Chinese circles
by foreign diplomatic missions and consular offices.
The Embassy understands that the proposed licensing will apply to motion
pictures prepared or acquired for the special use of the United States
Information Service, an agency of the United States Government. It
therefore invites the attention of the Ministry to the fact that the
Government of the United States does not require permits for films
exhibited on a non-commercial basis by foreign missions and consular
offices or their respective information services; nor does the
Government make any attempt to license films exhibited in the United
States by the China News Service or its agents. Consequently the
proposal of the Ministry of the Interior appears to be made without
regard to reciprocal treatment.
The Embassy wishes to point out that the requirement of permits implies
the power to censor and to suppress. The films shown by the United
States Information Service are designed to convey factual information on
the United States of America, and censorship or suppression of such
films can only constitute a restriction on the free flow of information
between nations. Acquiescence by the United States Government in the
censorship and suppression of its own motion pictures implies
acquiescence in the censorship and suppression of its own news reports,
transmitted by radio broadcasts and newspaper releases. The experience
of the last fifteen years has thrown into sharp relief the deformities
of political and intellectual character which have occurred in those
nations which have imposed or accepted such restrictions. It will also
be recalled that at the United Nations Conference on Freedom of
Information at Geneva in April of this year resolutions favoring the
free exchange between nations of information and condemning censorship
were adopted with the concurrence of both the Chinese and American
delegations.6
The Embassy wishes further to emphasize the evils attendant upon a
general requirement of pre-exhibition licensing under the police power
and judicial or diplomatic action after exhibition in respect of
particular films. The very requirement of permits creates in the mind of
the public a conviction that the films actually shown are only a
fraction of those which the United States Information Service is
endeavoring to show, and that other films are being suppressed. However
unjustified this assumption may be, it will arise, and there
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may be expected a loss of
public confidence in both the Ministry of the Interior for imposing such
censorship and in the United States Information Service for accepting
it.
The Embassy has therefore the honor to request that the censorship and
licensing activities of the Ministry of the Interior shall not be
extended to motion pictures shown on a non-commercial basis by the
United States Information Service.
