The first document is purely introductory, but is none the less
interesting. It is a fragment, or rather a precis of the momentous
conversation which took place between Yuan Shih-kai and the
Japanese Minister when the latter personally served the Demands on
the Chief Executive and took the opportunity to use language
unprecedented even in the diplomatic history of Peking.
The precis begins in a curious way. After saying that "the
Japanese Minister tried to influence President Yuan Shih-kai with
the following words," several long lines of asterisks suggest that
after reflection the unknown chronicler had decided, for political
reasons of the highest importance, to allow others to guess how
the "conversation" opened. From the context it seems absolutely
clear that the excised words have to deal with the possibility of
the re-establishment of the Empire in China--a very important
conclusion in view of what followed later in the year. Indeed
there is no reason to doubt that the Japanese Envoy actually told
Yuan Shih-kai that as he was already virtually Emperor it lay
within his power to settle the whole business and to secure his
position at one blow. In any case the precis begins with these
illuminating sentences:
... Furthermore, the Chinese revolutionists are in close touch and
have intimate relations with numerous irresponsible Japanese, some
of whom have great influence and whose policy is for strong
measures.
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