893.102S/1788: Telegram
The Consul General at Shanghai (Gauss) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 5—6 a.m.]
345. Japanese Consul General called on me this afternoon and handed me a copy of an aide-mémoire which he stated had been communicated yesterday afternoon to the American and British Ambassadors at Tokyo by the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs in regard to the International Settlement at Shanghai, the need for revision of the land regulations, reorganization and economy in the administration and adequate Japanese voice and representation, the Chinese courts, the land office, archives, et cetera. I assume that the Embassy in Tokyo has communicated the aide-mémoire to the Department. Japanese Consul General stated that the text as he handed it to me was prefaced at Tokyo with a reference to representations made by the Ambassador in February last.
At the same time the Japanese Consul General orally pointed out (1) that it is highly important and necessary that the land regulations be revised and improvements and innovations introduced into the administrative machinery, to which end he asked me to be realistic and see my way to cooperate, and (2) that it is necessary to the peace and order of the Settlement that the remote status of the Chinese court be adjusted, it being absurd that an act of anti-Japanese terrorism committed by Chinese at the instigation of the Chungking Government should be judged by none other than the judges of the Chinese court appointed by the Chungking Government. He added that there is absolute necessity to rectify this absurdity and asked for my cooperation in this matter.
I replied that as I understood from him that the aide-mémoire had been handed to the American Ambassador at Tokyo I assumed that it would be given consideration by the diplomatic authorities and communicated to the Department and that under these circumstances I had no comment to make to him in the matter at this time.
I shall later formulate and submit to the Department my comments on the subject.
Repeated to Chungking and Peiping, by air to Tokyo.