57
C.O.
24967
This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
REC
RegP 26 JUL 09
CHINA RAILWAYS.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[23671]
No. 1.
[June 24.]
SECTION
(No. 115.)
Sir Edward Grey to Sir J. Jordan.
Foreign Office, June 24, 1909.
(Telegraphic.) P.
HANKOW-SZECHUAN Railway loan. With reference to my telegram No. 113 of the 19th instant we informed the United States Government that, if a satisfactory arrangement were made between European groups and American banks and if agreement concluded were not endangered, we should cordially recognise their co-operation in above-mentioned loan. This communication was nisunderstood by the United States Government who took it to mean that we were referring them to the English banks in China and were disdaining our interest in the matter; they had protested therefore at Peking. They thought that His Majesty's Government would welcome their co-operation, as the question of United States' interference with the administration might arise owing to li-kin dues being pledged for interest on the loan.
We have pointed out that our suggestion was that matters should be left to financial groups in Europe to arrange with a representative of the American group, and have explained arrangement under article 9 of Tien-tsin-Pukow agreement regarding li-kin duos. We have also repeated that we are most anxious for American participation.
The French Government have made a communication to United States Govern- ment similar to ours, and both the French and German Governments concur in our view.
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