י
[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government. Į
20472
ESP 19 JUN 09
[B]
CHINA TRADE.
CONFIDENTIAL
[18305]
No. 1.
1527
[May 15.]
SECTION 1.
Sir J. Jordan to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received May 15.)
(No. 137. Confidential.) Sir,
Peking, March 31, 1909. DURING his stay here Mr. Mackenzie King has been brought into frequent contact with Mr. Tang Kai-son, one of his Chinese colleagues on the Opium Čom- mission, and bas been enabled to ascertain some information regarding the attitude of the American Delegates which throws light upon the inner working of the Commission and appears to be of sufficient interest to communicate to you. It has therefore, at my request, been embodied by Mr. Mackenzie King in a Memorandum, copy of which is inclosed herewith.
There would seem to be good reason for believing that one of the objects of the American Government in proposing the Commission was to free China from the obligation of observing existing Treaty engagements with regard to the import of opium should she succeed in effectually stopping the cultivation of the poppy within a less period than ten years. The idea, as my despatch No. 20 of the 12th January will show, met with little favour at the hands of the Central Government, who fully realized that the Arrangement concluded in 1907 with His Majesty's Government imposed upon them a sufficiently onerous task and met all the requirements of the case. But the Viceroy at Nanking and the Chinese Representatives on the Com- mission were evidently attracted by the American proposal, which secured also the support of the principal Japanese Delegate. The latter's sudden change of front, when the Resolution as redrafted by himself was introduced, was due, I understand, to the influence of Dr. Morrison, the
Times"
correspondent, who intimated to Mr. Miyaoka that he would be obliged to comment unfavourably on the support the Japanese were giving to the proposal.
44
I have, &c. (Signed) J. N. JORDAN,
Inclosure in No. 1.
Memorandum re Opium Commission.
DURING the sittings of the Opium Commission at Shanghae a Resolution was drafted by the American Delegates advocating that, should China be able to effectively stop the cultivation of the poppy in a period less than ten years, existing Treaties which permitted the sending in of opium from other countries should be abrogated. Mr. Tang Kai-son, one of the Chinese Delegates, told me confidentially with that this Resolution had been taken by the American Delegates, in company himself, to the Japanese, and they were asked to solicit Japanese support for the Resolution. Mr. Miyaoka, the chief Commissioner for Japan, stated frankly that the Resolution was hardly worded in accordance with what would be proper from a diplomatic point of view, and that he could not support it in the form presented. He was asked in what form it would be suitable to him, and the statement was made to him at the time that both President Roosevelt and Mr. Root were most anxious that such a Resolution should be passed, that they had gotten up the Commission with a view of helping the Chinese Government in its efforts to get rid of the cultivation of the poppy, and that it was along the line of this Resolution that they hoped the Commission would be the means of assisting China.
Mr. Miyaoka had then taken the Resolution and redrafted it, handed the Resolution as redrafted to Dr. Tenny, and stated that if Dr. Tenny would introduce the Resolution in the form in which he (Mr. Miyaoka) had drafted it the Japanese would support it. Dr. Tenny on the following day introduced Mr. Miyaoka's draft as a Resolution, and
[2274 p-1]