Macclesfield Bank, Cruiser Saint Louis - Thursday, February 24, 1949
"Radio message from the Chinese flagship, sir." A messenger handed a scrap of paper to Capitaine Villecourt.
"Thank you," Villecourt replied. He glanced at it while taking a gulp of coffee. "Amusing... 'we warmly welcome our French friends'. With turrets pointed, of course - if they treat their friends thusly, it's no wonder that half of the world is lining up to kick their ass."
"Any response, sir?" the seaman asked.
"No. The message we've come to deliver a message that doesn't carry well over radio." Villecourt tossed the paper aside. "Continue on course and speed."
Saint Louis continued to lead the line of six ships on a course toward, and eventually past, the relatively motionless Chinese squadron. Aboard the flagship, as
Guiyang came abreast of the French line, a fire-control technician looked through the rangefinders. "Range, one-five-zero-nine meters," he called out. "Range is now opening."
"Should I confirm the range and bearing with radar, sir?" another technician asked his superior.
"Only if you want to explain to the captain why you've disobeyed a direct order," the officer responded. "If they start shooting, then we power it up. Not until."
Back on the bridge, as the Chinese ships dwindled slowly astern, Villecourt wrote a quick message back to Vice-admiral Lapeyre, detailing the encounter in brief, and pointedly noting that the Chinese warships had pointed guns at the French vessels. A response came back within a half hour: "Good work. Repeat show of force tomorrow."
* * * * *
Diplomatic Note from the French Union (President Clemenceau) to the Empire of China (Prime Minister Kai-Shek) - Friday, February 25, 1949
Your Excellency,
In recent days we have become greatly alarmed at the activity of certain units of His Imperial Chinese Majesty's Navy in its conduct toward certain military vessels of the French Union [1] operating in international waters near the Macclesfield Bank, also called 'Zhongsha' in Chinese. One week ago, on the 19th February, the patrol ship
Ha Giang of the Indochinese Naval Patrol, was aggressively approached in international waters by a destroyer identified as HICMS
Guiyang, which demanded the
Ha Giang depart under threat of violence, claiming a live ammunition exercise, although none was announced in advance. Yesterday, a French squadron approached the Macclesfield Bank and was greeted by these same Chinese warships, which aimed their main batteries at our vessels, which were clearly operating in international waters. It has become clear that the Chinese government is engaged in the unannounced and unconsulted construction of a seabed-based naval station at Macclesfield Bank, supported by warships.
These are not the actions of a peaceful and responsible nation, and the French Union condemns, in the strongest terms, the behavior of the Chinese vessels in question.
The Macclesfield Bank area has no territorial baseline above sea level, with the shallowest depth of water being 9 fathoms. Therefore, it is the studied position of the French Union that these waters are wholly international, and do not belong to any one state. However, should international convention change, the French Union takes the position that control of the region should be awarded to the Autonomous Republic of Indochina, which possesses the closest land baseline to the area in question, and has up to this point borne the expense of placing navigational buoys and conducting surveys for updating charts and maps. The rights of the Chinese Empire to construct a station here is suspect, and is not viewed favorably by the French Union.
While the French Union wishes to maintain the general peace with the Chinese Empire, we feel by China's continued actions, both in this incident and in recent history, that the Chinese Empire wishes to alter the status quo by which peace has hereby been maintained.
Therefore, the French Union finds it necessary to issue the following demands.
1. The French Union demands the immediate termination of all Chinese construction activities at Macclesfield Bank, which is to remain International Waters unless addressed by an international agreement governing the expansion or modification of the current terminology.
2. The French Union demands apology for the insult offered to the Indochinese flag, in the form of
Ha Giang being chased and threatened in international waters in times of peace; and to the French flag, in the form of Chinese warships aiming at them with main battery guns in international waters in times of peace.
3. The French Union demands compensation for the navigational and warning buoys laid by the Indochinese Naval Patrol. [2]
4. The French Union demands that China refrain from conducting live-action naval exercises south of the 22nd Parallel without publishing a Notice to Mariners at least 48 hours in advance.
The French Union advises that the Chinese Empire respond in the affirmative to this diplomatic note by 2300 Hours on February 27th, 1949. The French Union advises that if no response is received, it will be interpreted as rejection on all points. Should this occur, the Chinese Empire is hereby informed that the French military will take action to terminate the construction efforts at Macclesfield Bank by Any Means Necessary.
Sincerely,
Pres. Clemenceau, Republic of France / French Union
Notes:
[1] In this particular case, the term "French Union" is used (instead of "Republic of France) as the Union speaks for the entirety of territories (including the Autonomous Republic of Indochina) rather than just France itself.
[2] The French suspect the original buoys have been removed, relocated, or replaced; they'll drop this demand if investigation shows the Chinese didn't alter them.