Office of the Historian

893.01/10–649

Document Transmitted by the French Embassy to the Department of State 85

undated

His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom are carefully studying the situation resulting from the formation of the central peoples government.

Friendly and mutually advantageous relations, both commercial and political, have existed between Britain and China for many generations. It is hoped that these will continue in the future. His Majesty’s government in the United Kingdom therefore [suggest] that pending completion of their study of the situation, informal relations should be established between His Majesty’s Consular offices and the appropriate authorities in the territory under the control of the Central peoples government for the greater convenience of both governments and promotion of trade between the two countries.

  1. Notation by the Deputy Director of the Office of Chinese Affairs (Freeman): “Handed to Mr. Butterworth by M. Daridan, French Embassy, on October 6, 1949, and purporting to be the text of the British reply to the Chinese Communist announcement establishing a ‘Peoples Government’ and bidding for recognition by the foreign powers.”↩