CONFIDENTIAL
3. Since you ask that our enquiries should be made discrectly, we have not yet taken any soundings to see to what extent the situation has changed over the last three or four years but will of course be ready to act at any time. When we do make enquirios we shall clearly have to explain the whole situation thoroughly and carefully. Last time the Ministry of Foreign Affairs arranged for us to see the Waterworks Section of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, who again ought to be able to give us overall in- formation. We should be glad to know whether the nood for dis- cretion permits us to make enquiries of them now. They were, however, last time only well-informed about municipal Water supplies and did not seem to know much about shipping and berthing problems or about water supplios available at oil company terminals. To supplement whatever information we get from the Ministry of Health, therefore, we should also propose to approach B.P. Ltd., through whom we should seek information from the Kyushu and perhaps also the Maruzen Oil Company.
In any case B.P.Ltd. might offer to ship the water in their own tankers, which return empty from Japan to the Middle East via or past Hong Kong, after delivering crude oil hère.
4. We should be glad to low if you would like us to proceed on these lines; if so perhaps you would send us a brief telegram. I am afraid that for obvious reasons our enquiries will take a little time, but we shall try to obtain answers as quickly as possible.
5. I am sending copies of this letter to Jack Hobbs in Osaka (in whose area all the likely sources of supply are) and to Leo Pickles in the Foreign Office; and enclose spares for you.
CONFIDENTIAL
(K.B. Crowson)