NOTHING

O.L

BE

WRITTEN

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Minutes.

187

Malaya and made to work for us against their

will, without even the concurrence of the

Chinese Government, whose nationals they are.

The fact that there is an express

provision in the Geneva Convention allowing

a captor to employ prisoners of war as

workmen rather points to the conclusion that

the absence of such a provision in the Hague

Convention about internees means that the

neutral host is not entitled to do the same

thing. Surely, with all the belligerents

interned by neutrals in previous wars there

must be precedents covering this point.

At all events, apart from the legal

aspect of the matter, I would strongly

recommend for political reasons that the

concurrence of the Chinese Government should

be obtained before the proposal is put into

effect.

March 20th, 1940.

It occurs to me that the case

the Graf Spee internees in

Argentina

may furnish

a

para-

llal. Subject to this I think we

Can meet Sir J. Brenan's of.

jections: please see draft.

Ashley Clarke.

253

I...

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