893.00/12596: Telegram
The Minister in China (Johnson) to the Acting Secretary of State
[Received December 26—7:56 a.m.]
934. Reference Legation’s 913, December 12 [16?], 6 p.m., and 923, December 20, 5 p.m. Counselor Peck reports by despatch that when aide-mémoire was handed by him to Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs on December 18, he stated that Chinese Government did not admit that right of search was limited to Chinese Maritime Customs authorities; that treaties grant customs this right but do not forbid it to other agencies; that as a matter of fact Chinese naval vessels were not likely to exercise their presumed right of search upon any vessels except those which may be regarded as “suspicious” and the Chinese Government could not assent to British proposal for “joint search” or search by the Chinese authorities in the presence of a British naval officer.
2. Legation has received no further report concerning Texas Company’s shipment of gasoline and kerosene to Foochow in British steamer as reported in my 925, December 21, 2 p.m.