File No. 893.51/817.
The Ambassador of Great Britain to the Acting Secretary of State.
Washington, March 21, 1912.
Dear Mr. Wilson: His Majesty’s Government agrees with your Government as to the measure of support which should be given by our Government to the groups concerned, and accepts the amended wording of the undertaking, which was proposed by you in your semiofficial note of the 16th. His Majesty’s Minister in Peking has been instructed in this sense, and the French and German Governments have been informed. His Majesty’s Government will give no support for the moment to any negotiations which would interfere with the temporary advances or weaken the security of the large loan.
As regards Belgian participation in the loans, His Majesty’s Government has no objection to this in principle, and agree that the terms of such participation should be settled by the groups in consultation with their Governments.
As regards the proposed loan, the contract for which was signed by the Chinese Prime Minister, and in which British, Russians and [Page 122] Belgians are interested. His Majesty’s Minister in Peking has been instructed to join with his colleagues in protesting against it on the ground that it is a breach of the engagement under which the four groups undertook to make advances to the Chinese Government, and the British financiers have been informed that His Majesty’s Government can give them no support.
I am [etc.]