CO129-371 - Public Offices - 1910 — Page 481

This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government."

[B]

CHINA RAILWAYS.

CONFIDENTIAL.

(9214]

No. 1.

Sir Edward Grey to Mr. Bryce.

478

[March 11:]

SECTION 1.

4 APR 10

(No. 95.) Sir,

Foreign Office, March 11, 1910. IN the course of conversation to-day the United States Ambassador asked me, as his own suggestion, whether the Chinchow Bailway might not be proceeded with at once as far as Tsitsihar, the rest of the line, from Tsitsihar to Aigun, being left to be dealt with by the Russians when they pleased. In his view, an arrangement of this sort ought to meet the wishes of the Russian Government, and he asked me whether I saw any objection.

I told him that I could not say what the view of the Russian Government would be with regard to such a proposal, but no doubt his Government would be able to find out by direct communication with them.

The Ambassador then asked me what I myself thought of the proposal, and whether I should object to Pauling's proceeding with the American group in the construction of the line as far as Tsitsihar.

I replied that, no matter to what extent the full validity of the 1899 agreement might be open to argument in the light of what had happened since the agreement was made, I thought it would be a rather strong order for us to give active support to a railway in that region to which Russia was opposed. In any case, I did not wish to quarrel with Russia about the 1899 agreement. It was not worth while to do so on a point such as this. I could not, therefore, give diplomatic support at Peking, and I must stand aside. As to Pauling's, they had acted entirely independently of us, and of course they were at liberty to continue to do so. I was not bound by the 1899 agreement to control the action of independent British firms, and as a matter of fact I had no means of exercising such control, even if I wished. The only thing to which I was bound by the agreement was a negative attitude.

I subsequently gave Count Benckendorff an account of the above conversation.

[2667 -1]

I

am, &c.

E. GREY.

2

il