Evening star., 1950-01-14
China
Continued From First Page.

Offices at Nanking will be closed
and the personnel withdrawn.
Mr.. Butterworth said that alto
gether there are 1875 Americans
and their dependents attached to
these Offices.
He told reporters that there was
mo assurance" that the Ameri-
cans affected could be evacuated
promptly, but that arrangements
would be made as quickly as pos
sible and the official establish
ments closed as soon as they are
completed.
The Communist seizure violated
rights granted the United States
in 1901 treaty and reaffirmed in
a 1943 treaty by which the United
States voluntarily relinquished
extra territorial rights in China.
The department pointed out that
this violation of rights follows the
harsh and unjustified treatment"
of Consul General Angus Ward
and his staff at Mukden and a long
series of other cases of mistreat-
ment of Americans in Communist
China.
Mr.. Ward was reporting to State
Department officials in person to-
day.
Tried to Avert Seizure.
The United States had tried
vainly for a week to avert the
property seizure in Peiping. The
Communist military authorities
issued a proclamation January 6
for the seizure of former foreign
military barracks. The following
day, the Communist authorities
sent an order to Mr.. Club for
requisition under that proclama-
ton of the consular property at %
Legation street.
Following this action by the
Chinese Communist authorities, +"
the department said, "the United
States Government took every
possible step to insure that the
highest Chinese Communist au-
thorities were aware of the seri-
BUSINESS with which we would view
an attempt to carry out this requi-
sition order.
1--WE not only brought the mat
ter to the attention of the highest
Communist Chinese authorities,
but asked the good Offices of the
British government which in
structed its officer In charge at
Peiping also to bring the matter
to the attention of the Chinese
Communist officials and to state
that the United States Govern
ment would be compelled to with
draw all official American person.
mel and to close it's establishments
if the Chinese Communist author
tiles persisted in this move"
Communications Returned.
The department said that all
the communications sent by Mr..
Clubb to the Chinese Communist
officials about the matter were re-
turned to him without answer or
acknowledgement, but with indi-
cations that they had been opened
and read.
The British representative was
sent instructions from London to
tell the Chinese Communists that
the United States was willing to
turn over to them some property
1t held outside the consular COM
pound affected by the seizure
order.
1t was not clear whether the
instructions had arrived in time
to deliver the message. Appar-
emily it was assumed that the
Chinese Communists would pay
more attention to the British than
to American representations in
view of the recent British recog-
milton of the Communist regime.
Mr.. Clubb was informed orally
at $3.50 pm. yesterday Peiping
time) that the reuuisition order
would be carried out at 8 am. to-
day. He informed the representa-
tive telling him this that the ac-
ton would be at the full
responsibility of those concerned"
and against American protests.
The invasion and seizure occurred
so minutes lateE than the dead
line set.