File No. 893.00/2599
The Secretary of State to Chargé Wheeler
Washington, June 9, 1917, 6 p.m.
Your June 8, 10 p.m. The action of the American Minister at Peking on June 5 was in accordance with instructions sent in response to Minister’s report upon situation and merely expressed regret that dissension had arisen and hope that wiser counsels would prevail. It stated that in the opinion of this Government the question of entrance into the world war was subordinate to that of internal peace. But this action, taken before the proposal was made for identic notes by the interested Powers, is not considered here as anticipating or preventing such cooperation.