CO129-362 - Public Offices - 1909 — Page 85

[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Governmen4967

[B]

CHINA RAILWAYS.

CONFIDENTIAL.

[24817]

No. 1.

83

RECO REGP 26 JUL OC

¡July 2.]

SECTION 1.

Ka..

(No. 150.) Sir,

Mr. Bryce to Sir Edward Grey.—(Received July 2.)

North East Harbour, Maine, June 21, 1909. I HAVE not yet received any formal reply to the despatch which I addressed to the United States Government under your instructions upon the 14th instant, and such indications of the view of that Government as I have received from it have been com- municated to you by cable. I may, however, observe that the newspapers have been full of statements, many of which would appear to be inspired by the State Department, or at any rate to represent pretty fairly its views. Some have been sent to you, and others are enclosed herewith* From these it may be collected that the United States Government is not altogether acting under pressure from the banking syndicate which desires to share in the loans, but is itself interested in the matter politically, and desires to take an active part in pressing American interests in China and in claiming a share for the United States in such enterprises as may be hereafter undertaken there by capitalist syndicates. There is reason to believe that both the President and the Secretary of State are personally in favour of a policy of this kind, and it seems probable that the belief that the assignment of certain Chinese revenues as a security for railway loans will give an opportunity to the countries whose bankers participate in the loans to exercise political influence upon the Chinese Government may be one of the reasons which have induced the United States Government on this occasion to adopt a forward policy.

I shall, of course, apprise you at once by cable as soon as I receive a formal reply from the United States Government.

I have, &c.

JAMES BRYCE.

* Not printed.

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