them that, "On November 27 Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs had told British Ambassador that since the reports were not unanimous there was in effect no decision resulting from Judicial inquiry and that he was therefore strongly of the opinion that it would be inadvisable to publish the reports and thus give occasion for the Chinese to play on differences among the interested Powers and that the British Ambassador had concurred." The American Minister reports that the Japanese Minister promised to urge upon his Government the view of this Government that the terms of reference themselves contemplated the possibility of a divided Court and that it was our profound conviction that it would prove utterly impossible to prevent leakage of the substance of the reports and that the attempt to suppress or edit them would only act infinitely more unfavorably upon foreign interests in China. The above is communicated to you for your information and such use as you care to make of it in discussing matter with British Foreign Office. You will state to the Foreign Office that while it is regrettable that the Commission should have disagreed in its findings this Government feels that it would be most disastrous at the present time, in the face of conditions now existing in China, for the Powers to repeat the procedure which followed the investigation made into the Shanghai incident by the Committee representing the Diplomatic Body in July and to suppress, edit or delay the publication of the findings of the Judicial Commission. Already there has appeared in the press, both in China and in the United States, intimation to the effect that the Powers will refuse to give these reports to the press. You will state to the British Foreign Office that this Government does not feel that it should permit itself to share in the odium of a virtual repudiation of the results of the inquiry which has been publicly conducted by three Judges appointed at the request of the Diplomatic Body. You may add that, howsoever much we may regret the necessity of so doing, this Government will for its part feel obliged, even though there may be no agreement about the publishing of the three reports, to publish the report of the American Judge in the near future.34 KELLOGG "By telegram No. 150, Dec. 3, the Ambassador in Japan was authorized to bring to the attention of the Japanese Foreign Office the views expressed by the Minister in China in the fourth paragraph of his telegram No. 509, Dec. 2, to the Department, which are substantially the same as the views embodied in this paragraph. (File No. 893.5045/259.) 893.5045/272: Telegram The Minister in China (MacMurray) to the Secretary of State 35 [Paraphrase] PEKING, December 12, 1925-noon. [Received December 13-12:15 p. m.] 525. 1. It was not necessary to take the independent action indicated in the fourth paragraph of my telegram No. 89, December 10, to Tokyo, as the Japanese Minister announced at an informal conference with the British Minister, the senior minister, and myself that the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs had decided to consent to having the reports published subject to certain conditions regarding arrangements as to action by the Shanghai Municipal Council on the lines indicated in my 500, November 27, 7 p. m. 2. The diplomatic body at a meeting yesterday morning authorized me and my British and Japanese colleagues to approach the Shanghai Municipal Council through the members on the Council of our own nationalities with a view to having the Council adopt the following measures in order to settle the affair of May 30: (1) The responsible police officers should offer their resignations to the Council and that body should accept the resignations with expressions of appreciation for previous meritorious services; (2) reasonable amounts should be offered to the Chinese victims, such payments to be given not as compensation but as a compassionate grant. There is reason for hoping that these suggestions will be promptly accepted by the Council. It is proposed that when the senior minister is informed that these proposals have been accepted he will announce the arrangement and release for publication the report of June 24 by the diplomatic commission without annexes, the note by which the senior minister on September 15 informed the Chinese Government of the terms of reference and extended to the Chinese an invitation to take part in the judicial inquiry, and a summary of the findings of fact given in the reports of the three judges on the commission. At the same time the senior minister will announce that as soon as necessary copies can be made the reports themselves will be released in full. 3. This telegram is repeated to Tokyo. MACMURRAY "In this telegram the Minister proposed to publish Mr. Johnson's report independently on December 15, unless arrangements could meanwhile be made for prompt simultaneous publication of the three reports. 893.5045/277: Telegram The Minister in China (MacMurray) to the Secretary of State PEKING, December 21, 1925-8 p. m. [Received December 21-9:23 a. m.] 538. My telegram number 531, December 17, 5 p. m.36 1. Japanese Minister has just informed me of the receipt of instructions that his Government withdraws its objections to publication of reports. 2. Shanghai Municipal Council has adopted suggestions outlined in second paragraph of my telegram number 525, December 12, noon. 3. Procedure to be followed regarding announcement of action taken and the publication of reports will be considered at a meeting of interested ministers tomorrow. Repeated to Tokyo. MACMURRAY 893.5045/278: Telegram The Minister in China (MacMurray) to the Secretary of State PEKING, December 22, 1925—9 p. m. [Received December 22-11:48 a. m.] 540. My telegram 538, December 21, 8 p. m. 1. Interested ministers today authorized senior minister to give out to the press tomorrow afternoon, together with announcement of the action taken by the Shanghai Municipal Council, documents referred to in the second paragraph of my telegram 525, December 12, noon. Publication of full texts of reports will follow in due 2. I have expressed to Cunningham my appreciation of his part in bringing about action by Shanghai Municipal Council in accepting resignations of McEuen and Everson and offering $75,000 solatium to victims or their families. I trust this action brings Shanghai incident to a conclusion as satisfactory as could have been hoped for. MACMURRAY Not printed. The Minister in China in despatch No. 430, Jan. 22, 1926, reported that the texts of the reports were to be released to the press by the Senior Minister on January 23 (file No. 893.5045/278). SPREAD OF ANTIFOREIGN DISTURBANCES IN CHINA" 893.00/5945: Telegram The Minister in China (Schurman) to the Secretary of State PEKING, January 12, 1925—4 p. m. [Received January 13-6:15 p. m.] 15. My 1, January 2, 3 p. m., paragraphs 8 and 9.39 1. According to telegraphic abstracts published January 8th in Peking newspapers the North China Daily News Shanghai conservative, richest and most influential foreign newspaper in China and best served with correspondence from missionaries and others throughout the provinces, published prominently January 7th an article declaring that a serious wave of antiforeign and anti-Christian feeling is sweeping across China. The writer attributes the causes to the failure of the present rulers who are attempting to deflect the popular wrath from themselves to the foreigners, also to the large growth of Christianity recently and the Bolshevist poison. In an editorial on the subject the editor says that many men not given to asserting express the opinion that an explosion is inevitable shortly and that the present propaganda is part of a widespread movement working for general repudiation of the treaties. 2. I telegraphed consul general, Shanghai, January 8th to convene group of representative missionaries and educators and get their opinion on these alarmist articles and also to consult heads of American concerns doing extensive business throughout China and telegraph me the result. 3. In reply received January 11th consul general states that none of our businessmen "have received any intimations from interior representatives of anti-Christian move" but that "Missionaries and educators have received reports of anti-Christian move from interior correspondents but the consensus of opinion at present is that the move is but slightly more extensive than in 1922, that it is as well organized but not so intelligently directed, that the move is a natural sequence of the Chinese educators' challenge of mission education and that thus rivalry will likely continue over a long period. It has elements that may cause antiforeign propaganda but as yet it is not apparent. The agitation is purely anti-Christian education or antimission school to date." 4. For explanation of the challenge of Chinese educators to mission schools see the report of the resolutions, especially resolution number 7, passed by the Tenth National Conference of Chinese Educational 38 See also sections entitled "Participation by the United States in efforts to solve problems arising from the disturbances at Shanghai, May 30, 1925," and "Intensification of antiforeign feeling in Canton after the firing at Shameen," pp. 647 ff. and 749 ff. 39 Ante, p. 588. Association[s] held at Kaifeng, Honan, October 15th to 28th, 1924 as enclosed in despatch to the Department number 898 December 17th [15th] from the consul general at Hankow.40 5. It may be questioned whether the association's proposal to restrict and eventually to terminate the educational work conducted under the auspices of foreigners in China and to prevent the use of foreign schools or other educational agencies for the propagation of religion, is, as our Shanghai missionaries and educators declare, an agitation "purely anti-Christian." Besides the religious mistakes, in [sic] which among a people so essentially nonreligious and tolerant as the Chinese may indeed be the weakest, I suspect the presence and operation of the following influences: (1) the ever-present Chinese aversion to foreigners and a new sense of the danger of foreign control of education, (2) the rising consciousness of nationality and the aspiration for a system of national education, (3) Bolshevik propaganda against other nations in China which has been especially successful in winning over and utilizing educators and students, and (4) a Bolshevik and Chinese drive against the so-called "Anglo-Saxon nations" who support most of the foreign missions and schools in China. France and Italy are scarcely mentioned in this connection and of course Japan not at all. 6. Japan is not averse to this agitation against foreign, that is, Christian nations in which she is naturally regarded as on the side of China. Foreign diplomats often speak of national value to America of her thousand missionaries and hundreds of schools and hospitals in China. In this respect America comes first, Great Britain poor second. In the present agitation Japan sees us attacked at our most vulnerable point as the friend and helper of China while she is entirely immune. 7. I do not associate Christian General Feng Yu-hsiang " or even Sun Yat-sen 12 with this anti-Christian agitation. Both, it is true, demand the revision of "unequal treaties" between the foreign nations and China and in this respect Chinese public opinion is unanimously behind them. They are exponents not of Bolshevism but radical nationalism though they may be willing to utilize the Bolshevists in their political maneuvres as, in Hunan, Feng's lieutenant, Hu, is today using bandits in his army. Both Sun and Feng have taken pains to disassociate their political movement from Bolshevism; for the [latter] see my telegram of January 2, 3 p. m., number 1, paragraph 5. As to Sun whom a half dozen German, American and Chinese physicians in a public bulletin pronounce very sick man and for whom they 10 Not printed. "Commander in chief of the People's Army and director general of the Northwest Frontier Defence. "Leader of the Kuomintang Party. |