mittees and subcommittees; and that the Chinese Delegates have made available to him their own confidential records, so that he feels justified in saying that, so far as a knowledge of the facts is concerned, he is in a position to give an adequate and accurate account of China's case at the Conference. Whatever opinions he may state as to the wisdom of the actions taken, whether upon the part of the Chinese Delegation or of the representatives of the other Powers, or whatever estimates he may express as to the general success or failure of the Conference in achieving the work for which it was convened, will necessarily be his own, and their value will be determined by the intelligence with which they have been formed. Because it is hoped that this volume will serve as an authentic report of the work of the Conference, so far as China was concerned, the method will be followed of reproducing not only the texts of the final agreements reached, but also the carefully formulated statements which, from time to time, the Chinese Delegation made in order that it might not later be argued that, by silence, the representatives of China had given tacit acquiescence to the various treaty limitations upon, or violations of, the sovereignty, territorial integrity and administrative autonomy of China, the freedom or relief from which they were not able to obtain. And, in this connection, the author ventures to say that the reader of this volume will almost inevitably be impressed not only by the vigor with which the Chinese Delegates presented China's case to the Conference, but by the intelligent and scrupulous care which they took to avoid any admissions of principles, or unnecessary commitments upon the part of China which would unduly hinder her future freedom of action, or place obstacles in the way of her securing, at some later and more propitious time, action upon the part of the Powers which it was found impossible to obtain at Washington. In result, it is hoped that this volume will be found to be a convenient supplement to the author's Foreign Rights and Interests in China, published in 1920, bringing to date, as it will, many of the statements of that work. |