693.002 Manchuria/16: Telegram
The Chargé in Great Britain (Atherton) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 23—9:35 a.m.]
115. My 111, March 16, 5 p.m. In the House of Commons last evening the Foreign Secretary spoke on Far Eastern situation. The following is a part summary.
The House probably knew that the administration of Chinese Maritime Customs was an exceedingly important matter, not only for China but for others also because the Chinese customs were, to a certain extent, charged with the liability of paying off foreign loans. England should, as Sir John thought other countries would also, take the [Page 621] gravest and most serious notice indeed of any suggestions that the customs service of China was going to be so dealt with as unfairly to prejudice the undoubted rights which various foreign interests had over customs which were charged with the repayment of loans.…24 We are parties to the Nine-Power Treaty and it is of the gravest importance that we should see to it that we do not encourage or countenance what might be a disregard or violation of China’s territorial administration. At the same time there is no law and there is no common sense in that. In no conceived circumstance can there ever be a subdivision of any enormous area like China, for as a matter of fact the rising up in this province or that of an administration claiming to have a certain amount of independence is by this time a commonplace in Chinese matters.…24 There could be no recognition of the new administration in Manchuria without the fullest inquiry. It was quite manifest that we ought to wait, and that League of Nations must wait for the report of its Commission which was appointed by the authority of both Chinese and Japanese.
In concluding and with special reference to the labors of the League of Nations in the Far Eastern situation Sir John stated:
“There was the tremendous question of whether the policy which Britain pursued at Geneva could be so conducted as to earn and secure the sympathy of the United States …24 the United States had recognized the declarations which the Assembly made were in the spirit and along the lines the United States would like to see adopted.”