"On November 30 the Chinese delegation, pushed on all sides to do so, at last brought up the Shantung question before the Far Eastern Committee. The method of independent conversations, with British and American observers attending, put into operation on December 1 was a necessary corollary of the faulty tactics of November 16 and could not but yield barren results. On December 3 the question of leased territories on being tabled resulted in the absolute refusal of Japan to consider the rendition of the Port Arthur territory and so held up the question of handing back Weihaiwei and Kuang chouwam, not to speak of Kowloon Extension.
"The very next day, Japan, having practically completed her blocking tactics on naval affairs, and destroyed the Hughes initiative, boldly announced in the Far Eastern Committee-that the American Government, through the action of the International Banking Consortium in the matter of excluded Manchurian railways, had recognized Japan's vital interests in Manchuria. On December 5 Dr. Philip Tyau, Secretary-General to the Chinese delegation and Minister to Quba, resigned in disgust from the delegation, and in a remarkable statement gave the public the first inkling of what had been going on behind the scenes. On succeeding days there were numerous other Chinese resignations causing considerable embarrassment in Washington, which could not be explained away to the public.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.