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FM FCO 281415Z AUGUST 79
TO IMMEDIATE PEKING
TELEGRAM NUMBER 487 OF 28 AUGUST
REPEATED FOR INFO PRIORITY UKMIS GENEVA, TOKYO, WASHINGTON,
ROUTINE UKMIS NEW YORK, HONG KONG, OTTAWA, PARIS
YOUR TEL NO 475 (NOW REPEATED TO TOKYO):
RUDD BANK
1. IN THE LIGHT OF THE JAPANESE REACTION (TOKYO TEL NO 463)
•
WE MUST BE SEEN TO BE CONTINUING TO EXERT SUCH PRESSURE AS WE CAN
ON THE REFUGEES TO LAND IN TEMPORARY ASYLUM IN CHINA. WE AGREE
HOWEVER THAT A FURTHER APPROACH TO THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES IS, BY
ITSELF UNLIKELY TO PRODUCE ANY RESULT.
2. UNLESS YOU SEE OBJECTION THEREFORE, PLEASE ARRANGE FOR A MEMBER OF YOUR STAFF, IF POSSIBLE IN COORDINATION WITH A
SUITABLE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES, TO VISIT THE
RUDD BANK IN QINGDAO. HIS OBJECTIVES SHOULD BE:
(I) TO DEBRIEF CAPTAIN DAVIES ON EVENTS IN SHANGHAI:
(II) TO FIND OUT AT FIRST HAND FROM THE REFUGEES THE
REASONS FOR THEIR REFUSAL TO LAND:
(III) IF POSSIBLE TO PURSUADE THEM TO CHANGE THEIR
MINDS AND LAND AT QINGDAO.
3. ALTHOUGH NO GUARANTEES CAN BE OFFERED TO THE REFUGEES CONCERNING THEIR EVENTUAL RESETTLEMENT, THEY SHOULD BE TOLD THAT THE UNHCR ARE PREPARED TO REGISTER THEM AND PROCESS THEM FOR
RESETTLEMENT ONCE THEY HAVE LANDED IN CHINA (PARA 2 OF YOUR TEL NO 729). NO REFERENCE SHOULD BE MADE TO CASELLA'S VIEW THAT
LANDING IN CHINA WOULD DEBAR THE REFUGEES FROM SUBSEQUENT
ACCEPTANCE BY THE US: SINCE IT NOW APPEARS POSSIBLE (WASHINGTON
TEL NO 2394) THAT HE HAS BEEN MISINFORMED ABOUT THE NATURE OF THE
US REGULATIONS CONCERNED. IT SHOULD BE MADE CLEAR THAT THERE IS
NO GUARANTEE THAT THE REFUGEES WILL BE ALLOWED TO LAND AT ANY
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see 1632
/ SUBSEQUENT.
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