3.—On July 23, Dr. Koo assumed office as Minister for Foreign Affairs. In accordance with the customary practice, the Ministry was to notify the Diplomatic Corps of his assumption of office, but, because Mr. Yoshizawa had not yet requested an audience for presenting his credentials, nor had he sent a copy of them to the Waichiaopu, thereby leaving the usual] formalities connected with the official entry upon the duties of the Japanese Minister to China uncompleted, the Waichiaopu was confronted with difficulties in the matter of addressing Mr. Yoshizawa in the proposed notification. Mr. Wang, Vice-Chief of the Protocol Department, called on the Japanese Legation with a view toa suitable arrangement for the unusual situation. The Legation stated in reply that it was necessary to wait for instructions from Tokio before they could settle the matter. On July 24, the Protocol Department held another conference with the Japanese Legation and proposed a practical solution of the difficulty by suggesting that the notification should take the form of a formal note addressed to the Japanese Legation. This form was finally adopted as the best way of avoiding the point of Mr. Yoshizawa's temporarily delicate posi® tion, and at fi same time emphasizing the importance which China has always attached to her relations with Japan by promptly notifying Mr. Yoshizawa of Dr. Koo's assumption of office. The Japanese Legation, to the surprise of the Waichiaopu, returned this note.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.