793.003/988: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant)92
5960. We have altered the language of our proposed preamble to the treaty on extraterritoriality to read as follows:
“The United States of America and the Republic of China, in recognition of the friendly relations which have long prevailed between their two peoples and of their common desire as equal and sovereign States that the high principles in the regulation of human affairs to which they are committed shall be made increasingly effective, have resolved et cetera.”
In handing to the Chinese Embassy here our reply to their document of November 10, we intend, for the sole purpose of cooperating to the fullest possible extent with the British Government, to suggest that the signing of the treaty be deferred for a few days, say, approximately 10 days, and to say that we hope that our treaty with the Chinese and the British treaty with the Chinese may be signed at about the same time.
- Repeated to the Ambassador in China in Department’s telegram No. 1155, November 27, 3 p.m.↩