Exchange of Notes Relating to New Consortium Agreement—May 11, 1920
Tokyo, Japan, May 11, 1920.
N. Kajiwara, Esquire,
Tokio, Japan.
Dear Sir:
We beg to acknowledge, with thanks, the receipt of your communication of May 11th, 1920, informing us, in behalf of the Japanese Banking Group that, under the instructions of your Government, you have now withdrawn your letter dated June 18th, 1919, and have adopted, in association with the Banking Groups of America, Great Britain and France and on like terms with them, the agreement for the establishment of a New Consortium in respect to China.
We are happy to note that certain points that had hitherto been somewhat obscure to your Group and to your Government have now been made plain, and we trust with you that the way is clear for the Consortium to undertake operations.
Inasmuch as some questions have arisen during our discussions as to the status of specific railway enterprises contemplated or actually begun in Manchuria and Mongolia, we hereby confirm that we have agreed with you as follows:
(1) That the South Manchuria Railway and its present branches, together with the mines which are subsidiary to the railway, do not come within the scope of the Consortium;
(2) That the projected Taonanfu-Jehol Railway and the projected railway connecting a point on the Taonanfu-Jehol Railway with a seaport are to be included within the terms of the Consortium Agreement;
(3) That the Kirin-Hueining, the Chengchiatun-Taonanfu, the Changchun-Taonanfu, the Kaiyuan-Kirin (via Hailung), the Kirin-Changchun, the Hsinminfu-Mukden the Ssupingkai-Chengchiatun Railways are outside the scope of the joint activities of the Consortium.
The foregoing letter of acknowledgment, although written in behalf of the American Banking Group, has, we are assured, the cordial approval of the British and French Banking Groups, also of the Government of the United States, of Great Britain and of France.
Pray be good enough to present our regards to your colleagues in the Japanese Banking Group and our best wishes for the success of the joint Four-Power Undertaking.
Very truly yours,
(Signed) Thomas W. Lamont,
For and in behalf of the American Group.