The Study Of America's Policy Of Protecting US Nationals In China By Force From 1926 To 1941

After the Gengzi Incident, it became important for the big powers to protect their nationals in China in dealing with the relations with China. To protect their nationals,the big powers did not hesitate to send troops to China. From the Gengzi Incident to the National Revolution, the big powers sent troops to China on the excuse of protecting nationals when the big war broke out in China, including America. After the Xinhai Revolution, America sent the 15th Infantry Regiment to Tianjin. When the National Revolution developed to the Yangtze valley, especially after Hankou and Jiujiang incident, the confidence was lost between China and the big powers. It caused a big evacuation of Americans in China in Yangtze upriver areas, and therefore Shanghai became American shelter for a while. In light of the lasting memory of the 1900-Incident, the big powers took different policies on defending Shanghai concession. Compared with British quickly sending troops to Shanghai,America was very cautious on the question of defending Shanghai. In order to alleviate the pressure of protecting Americans in China by force, American government put forward the proposal for the neutralization of Shanghai after British sent troops to China. But it soon failed. After then, America took this opportunity to change policy and sent the Sixth Regiment of United States Marines to Shanghai and strengthen the forces of protecting their nationals which created the situation of the big powers cooperating with each other in defending Shanghai.Shortly after, along with the National Revolutionary Army's nortnhward advance,the war spread to North China. In light of the influence of the Nanjing Incident and the 1900-Incident, America and Britain had the proposal of defending North China by force. Especially Britain, actively advocated America and Japan to defend the Beijing-Tientsin area. But America and Japan were cautious on sending troops to North China because the interests of the big powers were different. However, with the Tanaka cabinet coming to power in Japan, in order to highlight its positive policy toward China, Japan took the lead in sending troops to Shandong so as to open a new situation in North China defense. From then on, America and Britain also sent naval and military forces to North China on the excuse of protecting their nationals in China.In May 1928, the National Revolutionary Army took the Second Northern Expedition.Situations in North China became tense again. In the name of protecting the Japanese residents in china, Japan sent troops to Shandong again quickly, and manufactured Tsinan Tragedy. America and British did not feel negative about Japan sending troops to Shandong. On the contrary, they had much complaint to the National Revolutionary Army, which affected the Nanjing national government's negotiation with Japan later.However, after the Mukden Incident, the traditional policy of protecting Americans in China by force continued to face new challenges. Took Shanghai as an example,during the National Revolutionary, confronted with the outbreak of possible warfare around Shanghai,the big powers put forward the proposal for the neutralization of Shanghai. Although domestic warlords in China seemingly could not quite agree with the proposal, in fact, they were afraid of the big powers' traditional policy of protecting their nationals in China by force. To the largest extent,Shanghai was avoided the destruction of war. However, the Battle of Songhu in 1932 changed all that. China and Japan fought in the near Zhabei district of Shanghai international settlement, which not only became the first time that the Chinese army directly battled with the Japanese army since the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, but also had created a material threat to the Shanghai international settlement since the republic of China. Under such circumstances,on the one hand,America mediated truce between China and Japan actively, on the other hand, also sent the troops and naval vessels to China, to take the prepare of protecting their nationals in China by force. But at the same time, America also was ready to withdraw their nationals in China at a critical point. After the Mukden Incident, as Japan move forward, the U.S. Army in the north on account of protecting their nationals were embarrassed, and had become the possible factors which be involved in the conflict. In order to alleviate the pressure in 1932, America offered the plan of withdrawing the Japanese legation guard, but it failed in the end. In 1935,facing the dilemma which was caused by Japan,s proposition of rising of Japanese legation in China to the status of embassy, America kept the U.S. Army in the north of China be stationed by the means of reserving the American embassy in Peiping. Meanwhile, the question of removing the American legation to Nanjing also had a preliminary solution.After the lugouqiao incident broke out in 1937, in order to ease the domestic public opinion for peace and avoided involvement in the war on one hand, on the other hand,America also did not appreciate the plan of neutralization of Shanghai. America had to abandon the policy of protecting Americans in China by force, adopted the policy of evacuation to deal with it. However, the policy of evacuation encountered many troubles in the practice, not only the American officials in China, but also their nationals especially businessmen and missionaries, hardly to think so. America wanted to reach the purpose of protecting their nationals in China by the means of evacuation was failed. Not only that, after the Panay incident, the gunboat which took the task of protecting Americans in China should be attacked and sunk, isolationists in America demanded the withdrawal of American troops stationed in China. Along with the development of the political situation of north China, ultimately all this impelled America to evacuate the 15th Infantry Regiment which had stayed in Tianjin for 26 years. From the withdrawal of Americans in China to the withdrawal of troops, it marked the Preliminary failure of the traditional policy of protecting Americans in China by force.After the Panay incident, the cases of Japan who destroyed the life and property safety of Americans in China did not decrease, but continued to increase, which caused tension and uneasiness of American officials in China. To deal with it,America took the non-military means of assisting China and abolished U.S.-Japan commercial treaty, but the effect was very small. As the U.S.-Japan relationship continued to deteriorate, America started the evacuation again in October 1940, and the government organized the "American president lines" to implement it. Americans only remain in China about two thousand around the Pearl Harbor incident. In the meantime, on grounds of the outbreak of World War ? and avoiding involvement in the war,Japan pressed for the countries to evacuate their troops in China,but America disapproved. The commander of the Yangtze Patrol Glassford with the concurrence of the Commander of the Fourth Marines at Shanghai offer to withdraw United States Marine Corps from China, but the Commander in Chief of the Asiatic Fleet Hart and the Assistant Chief of the Division of Far Eastern Affairs Adams and the Ambassador in China Gauss did not agree with it. However, on the ground of mobilizing the defense recourses, America announced the withdrawal of the United States Marine Corps and gunboats from China on November 7. So far, the policy of protecting Americans in China by force had come to an end.