Paraphrase telegram from the Governor of Hongkong to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, dated 22nd December, 1925. (Received Colonial Office 7.45 a.m. 22nd December, 1925).
637
Canton situation. Your telegram of the 19th December.
I found when I assumed the administration on the 1st November that there was little or no inter-communication between His Majesty's Consul-General, Canton, and the de facto Canton Government or between the former and the Government of Hongkong. The re-establishment of friendly relations between His Majesty's Consul-General and myself was of course an easy matter, but the restoration of similar relations between the former and the Canton Government was impossible of achievement, since Sir J. Jamieson believed that he would be assassinated if he entered Canton and so refused to leave Shameen, In these circumstances Consul-General agreed to my getting into direct touch myself, if I could, with the Canton Government and I have been trying for weeks to do so. I met with no success for some time but on the 19th December Wong Tsing Wai, the Chairman of Council of Government of Canton, in reply to a personal letter which I addressed to him, sent secretly to visit me here
Sung Tazman, a member of the Council of Government and head of the Treasury. The result of this visit was that on the
20th December I sent Fletcher to Canton with Sung for conference with Wong and Council of Government. When he returns I will telegraph further developments