CO537-3706 — Page 170

En Clair

159

mr WI Wallace

AMENDED DISTRIBUTION

5/2/48

POLITICAL DISTRIBUTION

FROM NANKING TO FOREIGN OFFICE

Sir R. Stevenson No. 121

3rd February, 1948.

Repeated to Hong Kong

D. 7.39 p.m. 3rd February, 1948. R. 8.37 p.m. 3rd February, 1948.

Addressed to Foreign Office telegram No. 121 of 3rd February repeated to Hong Kong.

158

My immediately preceding telegram.m

Following is account of press interview by United States Minister at previously arranged press conference today which took place while British Consulate General was burning.

I departed from questions submitted in afternoon to say that of course important thing was what was taking place down the street. After recording my long associations with China and the Chinese people, I said that I was deeply distressed at what was taking place. Extra territoriality was a thing of the past. China had become a great responsibility of a great nation. Stressing and reiterating the Kowloon incident, I said that as a mature nation China should seek the settlement of such disputes through diplomatic processes and not (repeat not) by burning the Consular premises of a friendly nation. The action I was witnessing I said, would not (repeat not) do harm to Britain but to China. It was not the British who would suffer from the burning of their Consulate but the prestige of China as a great nation. I expressed the hope that I would be correctly quoted, as I was prepared to stand by my statements but remarked that I was speaking under the shock of what was going on while I was talking and I felt like weeping to think of the harm these events would do to China. On answer to a specific question I gave my personal opinion that events of today in Canton would prejudice consideration in Congress of aid to China Programme.

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