793.94/7794: Telegram
The Ambassador in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 16—11 a.m.]
135. 1. Sino-Japanese relations in North China continue to be quiet as reported in paragraph 1 of the Embassy’s 102, March 3, 11 a.m.6 It would seem that the present period of quiet may continue for some time. There have been some minor developments which ought to be pleasing to at least some of the Japanese military.
2. An agreement was signed March 6th at Tientsin by the Managing Director of the Peiping-Mukden Railway and by an official of the South Manchuria Railway for the establishment from May 1st of through freight car service with Peiping-Mukden Railway. (Conclusion of such an agreement was supposed to have been promised by the Chinese at the time of the Tangku truce.) A local Japanese official states that he expects a through freight car agreement later. According to a Japanese press despatch, the Kwantung army regards the new agreement as “a great contribution to the promotion of close communication between North China and Manchukuo”.
3. A total of five Japanese advisers have been appointed to the Hopei-Chahar Political Council. In addition to the two mentioned in paragraph 2 of the Embassy’s 62, February 14, 5 p.m.,6 Nagai, who was mentioned in the Embassy’s 59, February 11, 3 p.m. has been definitely assigned to assist the Economic Committee of the Council. Also, an officer of the South Manchuria Railway and an officer of an electric company in Manchukuo have been assigned to advise construction and communication committees which are yet to be inaugurated under the Council.
4. It is reliably reported that Doihara, who has been assigned to Kurume, Kyushu, is to be succeeded as unofficial negotiator in Peiping by Colonel Takayoshi Matsumuro (see Embassy’s 89, February 25, [Page 77] 5 p.m.) but that Matsumuro will be attached to the North China garrison and not to the Kwantung army. This apparent effort on the part of the Japanese authorities to place Sino-Japanese affairs in North China under the North China Garrison may not, however, be entirely successful in practice because the Kwantung army as negotiator of the Tangku truce will presumably be able to intercede in matters which derive from that truce.
5. Japanese Military Attaché Isogai on a brief visit from Shanghai to Peiping is reported to have informed Japanese press men at Peiping on March 14 that Japan could not much longer tolerate the present unsatisfactory situation in North China and that he had received a most unpleasant impression of the results of General Sung Che Yuan’s regime. It is doubted that this speech has much significance. He has made similar fiery statements in the past in Shanghai and he may desire to intrude himself as Military Attaché into Sino-Japanese questions in North China during the present period of suspended activity.
By mail to Tokyo.