[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
0.0.
OPIUM.
CONFIDENTIAL.
[27916]
No. 1.
Lep AUG 12/ [June 27.]
SECTION 2.
558
(No. 109.) Sir,
Sir Edward Grey to Sir C. MacDonald.
Foreign Office, June 27, 1912. I TOLD the Japanese Ambassador to-day of the representation which Sir John Jordan had been instructed to make in Peking about our future recognition of the Chinese Government. I observed that the wholesale breach of the opium agreement was the occasion of making the representation, but the principle was one which the Japanese Government themselves, I thought, had approved, ie, that we could not officially recognise a central Government that was totally unable to secure the observa- tion of treaty obligations in the provinces, of which inability the breach of the opium agreement was an instance.
The Ambassador thanked me for the communication, and said that he had already observed the answer on this subject given in the House of Commons recently.
I am, &c.
[2519 dd-2]
E. GREY.