---
title: "Open Door Notes — Definition & Meaning | Model Diplomat"
description: "The Open Door Notes were U.S. diplomatic memoranda from 1899-1900 asserting equal access to China, crucial for trade and territorial integrity."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/open-door-notes"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- The Open Door Notes were a series of diplomatic memoranda issued by U.
- S.
- Who authored the Open Door Notes and when?
- How did the first and second Open Door Notes differ?
- Was the Open Door policy ever made binding by treaty?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

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Example

In September 1899, U.S. Secretary of State John Hay circulated the first Open Door Note to Britain, Germany, and Russia, demanding equal trading rights within their spheres of influence in China.

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