8864
24 FEB 20
Paraphrase of telegram from Sir B. Alston No. 90, dated
February 21st 1921.
337
i
Your Lordship's telegrams 70 and 74.
As Your Lordship is aware from my telegram No. 73,
the description of the nature and grounds of my action given
by the American Government is inaccurate. At the same time I
cannot but concur in their view of the importance of the
matter in connection with our co-operation in the Far East,
and I trust that on this ground means will be found to
bring about pourparlers between Mr. Isaacs and the Federal
Company. Such, if eventually satisfactory, would almost
certainly be welcomed by the Chinese Government as a way of
escape from their own errors.
The answers to the questions in Your Lordship's
telegram No. 74 are:-
+
1. On the advice of this Legation, and to give the
Chinese Government no excuse for shirking their own
obligations at the instance of competitors, the Marconi
Company have made a point of executing to the latter their
obligations under all their contracts with the Chinese
Government; and it thus happens that no time was lost in
erecting and equipping the Chinese National Company's
factory at Shanghai. It will be ready for operation
next April.
2. The answer is yes.
The Chinese National
Company