The Memoirs of Wellington Koo (Volume 12)

Author: Institute of Modern History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1993-08-28
Features: Wellington Koo (1888-1985) was a prominent figure in the diplomatic field during the Beiyang Government and Nationalist Party periods. His courtesy name was Shaochuan, and his Western name was Wellington. Born on January 29, 1888, in Shanghai, Koo received his early education in a private school and entered Shanghai Anglo-Chinese College at the age of 11. In 1901, he enrolled in St. John's College, completing a four-year curriculum in just three years while also serving as a literary editor for the student-run newspaper Long. In 1904, he traveled to the United States at his own expense, first attending Cook College in New York, then transferring to Columbia University for a general liberal arts program. He later pursued graduate studies in political science, earning a master's degree in 1909 and a Ph.D. in philosophy in 1912.
At the age of 24 in 1912, Koo returned to China after completing his studies in the United States and was appointed as the State Secretary and Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Beijing government, marking the beginning of his diplomatic career. In 1915, when the Japanese government coerced Yuan Shikai into signing the "Twenty-One Demands," Koo, despite being ill, wrote an exposé exposing Japan's intimidation tactics, which drew international attention and forced Japan to moderate its demands. In 1917, when the United States joined the Allied Powers in World War I, Koo believed that China's participation would enhance its international standing. He actively campaigned in Washington and sent secret cables to the central government in Beijing urging China to join the war.
In 1919, Koo attended the Paris Peace Conference, where he moved international representatives by stating that "China cannot give up Shandong any more than a Christian can give up Jerusalem." This action not only secured Shandong but also established Koo's reputation in the international diplomatic community. In 1921, Koo built a residence at 267 Hebei Road, Heping District, Tianjin, where he stayed for a short time in 1924. After the "September 18th Incident" in 1931, he joined the Lytton Commission of the League of Nations. During the investigation, the Japanese side imposed strict restrictions on Koo, preventing him from entering Northeast China and threatening him. Undeterred by personal danger, Koo insisted on investigating Northeast China, conducting independent work, and submitting a lengthy memorandum to the commission exposing Japan's aggressive actions.
After World War II, at Koo's urging, the United States, China, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union held the United Nations International Organization Conference in Washington in 1944 and drafted the Charter of the United Nations. On June 26, 1945, Koo, representing the Republic of China, was the first to sign the Charter of the United Nations, officially establishing the United Nations. From 1912 to 1967, over half a century, Koo held numerous diplomatic posts, including Ambassador to the United States, Ambassador to France, Chief Representative to the United Nations, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Judge of the International Court of Justice at The Hague. In his later years, he devoted 17 years to completing his monumental 13-volume, 6 million-word work, The Memoirs of Wellington Koo.
Koo was a renowned diplomat in modern Chinese history, a patriotic figure who, through his wisdom, integrity, and dedication to his country, made historic contributions to his diplomatic career. Chairman Mao Zedong also greatly admired his diplomatic talent and character. The Memoirs of Wellington Koo is a long by the senior Chinese diplomat Wellington Koo, primarily documenting his long diplomatic career from his appointment in the Beiyang Government to his retirement from the International Court of Justice at The Hague in the 1960s. The book comprises 13 volumes and 6 million words, serving as both a personal account of the author's political career and a historical record of China's foreign relations from the early Republic to the 1950s, including the periods of the Beiyang Government and the Nationalist Party government.