793.94/7668: Telegram The Ambassador in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State PEIPING, January 16, 1936-4 p.m. [Received January 16-11:10 a.m.] 21. 1. Conversations continue at Tientsin with Sung, Hsiao Chen Ying, 32 Doihara, Tada 33 and others participating. Developments are kept secret. 2. Various Japanese observers express the opinion that Yin Ju Keng's area will not be merged with the Hopei-Chahar Political Council until the latter reaches a degree of autonomy comparable to that of the former. 3. It is reported in the press that Sugiyama, Vice Chief of Staff at Tokyo, will shortly visit Manchuria and North China. The informant mentioned in the Embassy's despatch 3235 of January 4, 1935,5 states that Sugiyama is one of the four or five most influential Japanese military officers and that his primary purpose is to study the Government of China situation from the viewpoint of a possible Russian military advance. The informant states that Japanese military officers believe that Russia is preparing to attack Manchukuo through Outer Mongolia, an opinion which the informant does not hold, and that therefore the Japanese military are now more interested in Chahar and Suiyuan than in other parts of North China. He said that Doihara will remain in Tientsin to advise Sung until March when he will be transferred to Japan to command a brigade. He also states that the Japanese are still dissatisfied with Sung. To Tokyo by mail. JOHNSON 793.94/7674: Telegram The Counselor of Embassy in China (Peck) to the Secretary of State NANKING, January 17, 1936-9 a.m. [Received 11: 15 a.m.] 19. My 17, January 16, 10 a.m.35 It is learned from apparently reliable sources that on January 15 the student representatives presented questions and "demands" by delegations from different localities and that the following 10 subjects were those in which the greatest number of delegations concurred: 32 Mayor of Tientsin. 83 Maj. Gen. Hajao Tada, commanding the Japanese North China garrison. "East Hopei demilitarized districts. 35 Not printed. 1. Referring to General Chiang's statement to the Kuomintang Congress on November 19 that "we shall not talk lightly of sacrifices until we are driven to the last extremity which makes sacrifices inevitable", the students inquired at what stage the limit of endurance would be reached and resistance to Japanese aggression would begin. 2. They inquired concerning the exact extent of China's military preparedness. They presented the following "petitions" or "demands". 3. That traitors be punished. 4. That autonomy movements in North China be suppressed. 5. That revision of school textbooks in North China to meet Japanese wishes be opposed. 6. That the freedom of the press be restored. 7. That open diplomacy be practiced instead of secret diplomacy. 8. That the Government do its best to organize the Chinese masses. 9. That the greatest care be taken in readjusting Sino-Japanese relations. 10. That the Hopei-Chahar Political Council be abolished. General Chiang spoke to the student representatives from January 16, 3 p.m. to January 16, 7 p.m., the seven main points of his address being as follows: (1) War against Japan is only a question of time and when it comes the whole nation will be mobilized and responsibility will not rest on the students alone. (2) China at present is inferior to Japan in this detail of preparedness and organization and war cannot be declared recklessly. (3) Reviewing the history of Sino-Japanese relations, he said that since the Sino-Japanese war in 1894 Japan has been determined to invade China for, in the view of the Japanese, China is Japan's only economic outlet. (4) The so-called "continental policy" has become the traditional policy of Japan and it means "down with the Kuomintang and down with Chiang Kai Shek". (5) China, also, has a traditional policy, which is the policy of the Kuomintang, no surrender to Japan. There were no secret clauses in the Tangku truce and no such thing exists as the so-called Ho-Umetsu agreement.36 (6) To meet the special situation, education in China will be on an extraordinary basis designed to meet the special needs. (7) The entire nation should be reassured that Chiang Kai Shek will never surrender to Japan nor sign any agreement injuring the State. He does not fear death for the cause. The press is under strict orders to publish no information regarding statement made by Chiang and I suggest that this message be treated temporarily as confidential. Repeat to Peking. PECK 36 Alleged agreement in 1935 between General Ho Ying-chin, Chinese Minister of War, and General Yoshijiro Umetsu, commanding the Japanese North China garrison. 793.94/7677: Telegram The Ambassador in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State PEIPING, January 19, 1936-noon. [Received January 19-2:37 a.m.] 25. Embassy's 18, January 15, noon. 1. The Consul General at Tientsin reports that he has been informed by the Commissioner of Customs at Tientsin that the latter received written notice January 18 from the Hopei-Chahar Political Council that he turn over to the Council all of the customs revenue for January and his balance. It is also reliably stated that the Salt Commissioner has received similar instructions. Repeated to Nanking and Tokyo. JOHNSON 793.94/7679: Telegram The Ambassador in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State PEIPING, January 20, 1936-3 p.m. [Received January 20-10:30 a.m.] 26. Embassy's 25, January 19, noon. Local postal official states that his office has received no order from the Hopei-Chahar Political Council to turn over revenue other than revenue obtained from revenue stamps reported in Embassy's 18, January 15, noon. 2. Foreign Affairs Committee of the Council was inaugurated this morning. It has 10 members with Chen Chung Fu as chairman. (See paragraph 4 of Embassy's 17, January 14, 4 p. m.). The chairman of the Economic Committee (reference paragraph 3 of the abovementioned telegram) is Hsiao Chen Ying. 3. According to one of Sung Che Yuan's subordinates, the office of the special delegate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Peiping will soon be abolished as a result of the inauguration of the Foreign Affairs Committee. 4. The Peiping-Tientsin garrison headquarters was abolished January 15 and the Hopei-Chahar Pacification headquarters, of which Sung is Commissioner, was inaugurated the same day. 5. The Embassy is informed that the dispute between Yin Ju Keng and the Peiping-Mukden Railway over railway revenue from that part of the line which runs through the demilitarized zone has been settled by the railway agreeing to pay Yin $100,000 per month and that Yin's railway office has been abolished. By mail to Tokyo. JOHNSON 893.00/13346: Telegram The Counselor of Embassy in China (Peck) to the Secretary of State NANKING, January 21, 1936-4 p.m. [Received January 21-11 a.m.] 22. 1. Under date of January 17 the National Government Gazette published "provisional general principles governing the organization of the Hopei-Chahar Political Affairs Commission" which define the Commission's functions in a general way only and leave the Commission, from a legalistic point of view, an amorphous organ awkwardly superimposed upon the Hopei and Chahar Provincial Governments and the municipalities of Peiping and Tientsin. The "principles" state that the Commission: (1) is established to control "all political affairs" of the two Provinces and two municipalities named; (2) shall have from 17 to 21 members with a chairman to assume general control of its affairs assisted by a standing committee of from three to five persons, all members to be appointed by Nanking; (3) shall temporarily have three departments-a secretariat and departments of political affairs and finance; (4) may establish special committees for special questions and may "engage" the personnel therefor and may also have a "certain number" of advisers, counselors and experts; and (5) may "within the scope of laws and ordinances of the central authorities draft laws and regulations for exclusive use and submit them to the National Government for approval and record". 2. Full translation will go forward by mail.38 РЕСК 762.94/68 The Ambassador in Germany (Dodd) to the Secretary of State No. 2617 BERLIN, January 22, 1936. [Received February 1.] SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith a clipping " from the January 20 edition of the (London) Morning Post, with regard to an alleged military agreement between Germany and Japan. We discussed the clipping confidentially with the Berlin correspondent of the Post. He stated that his information came from a responsible ministerial source and he had believed it to be substantially accurate when sending it to his paper. Since then the substance matter was denied orally by the Foreign Office in a telephone conversa 38 Not printed. 39 'Not reprinted; but see quotation in report by Military Attaché in Germany, January 30, p. 31. tion which the Post correspondent had yesterday. Nevertheless, he had now received further confirmation and believed that the possibility of a German-Japanese agreement in some such form is credited in London official circles. We have been quite suspicious for some time of an arrangement of this character but have had no definite or satisfactory confirmation. Several days ago, however, we learned from an unofficial but extremely well informed German source that some such arrangement was arrived at last October or early November between Ribbentrop 40 and the Japanese, which, our informant said, was at Japanese instigation although not as wide in scope as the Japanese would have desired. I might also add that the Naval and Military Attachés told us recently that they had been much struck with a dinner party at the Japanese Naval Attaché's a short time ago which all the highest German naval officers attended, a most unprecedented happening in Berlin, we understand, where admirals and the like do not apparently honor naval attachés with their company at dinner, etc. With these indications supporting our suspicion, we have thought it worth while to send their substance to the American Delegation at the London Naval Conference to see if Mr. Davis can give us any further light on this score. Meanwhile we are pursuing the matter locally in the course of our effort to try and keep the Department currently informed of any developments in German-Japanese relations. Respectfully yours, WILLIAM E. DODD 693.94244/2 The Ambassador in China (Johnson) to the Secretary of State No. 195 PEIPING, January 22, 1936. [Received February 24.] SIR: I have the honor to enclose a copy of despatch No. 134 of January 16, 1936, from the Consulate General at Tientsin," regarding a case of sugar-smuggling which occurred at the 15th U. S. Infantry camp at Chinwangtao on the night of January 6-7, 1936. It will be observed that, according to the report of the American Army officer concerned, the persons in charge of the smuggling operations were Japanese. In this connection it may be remarked that the Taikoo Sugar Refining Company, a British organization which has a very large trade in sugar in China, is reported now to have its warehouse in Tientsin filled with stocks, "without being able to sell a pound" by reason of the activities of sugar-smugglers in North China. Respectfully yours, NELSON TRUSLER JOHNSON Joachim von Ribbentrop, Special Ambassador at Large for Adolf Hitler, "1 Not printed. |