34281
Hongkong
40575
RECP
REG 18 NOV 07
547
Government House.
October 13th, 1907.
My Lord,
Before receipt of your telegram of the 27th September I had already written to Mr Taft offering him the hospitality of Government House. He arrived on the morning of October 12th, accompanied by his Private Secretary and others including Mr Edwards who is Head of the Insular (e.g. Colonial) affairs under the Bureau of General Office. This post corresponds (as I pointed out to him) to the early origin of the British Colonial Office which was at one time under the Secretary of State for War.
The American Consul General had arranged a lunch and an afternoon reception in his honour. I had a similar one. I had an opportunity of a long private conversation with Mr Taft during the morning and during the evening towards the end of the day. The conversation turned on interest and administration of similar matters on Far Eastern problems. The conversation with General MacArthur in the afternoon was of extreme interest and methods of tropical administration.
With the exception...