F
PARAPHRASE TELEGRAM from the Governor of Hong Kong to the Secretary of State for the Cobonies.
Dated 10th June
(Received Colonial Office 2.10 p.m. 10th June, 1926)
32
Very Urgent.
The following has been repeated to Peking with reference to Sir R.Macleay's telegram No.203 to Foreign Office.
The Consular Body has just been notified by the Canton Minister for Foreign Affairs that in future the Minister for Foreign Affairs will deal directly with the Consular Body-Since steps have been taken to abolish the provincial post of Commissioner for Foreign Affairs, which was formerly the channel of corrunication between the Consuls and the Canton Government. The source of my information is Brenan who is at present in Hong Kong. As there is no one else with whom to communicate the Consuls
will have no alternative but to address their letters to
the "Minister for Foreign Affairs, Canton" and if as Macleay suggests Brenan is to act as intermediary for the Hong Kong Government he will have to follow this procedure. Canton is not however out for de jure recognition as an independent Government and the point does not seem to me to be of serious importance.
On the 5th June I received a letter from Eugene Chen who had evidently written to me without waiting for reply from Brenan. The letter was in the following terms:-
*The Canton Government is prepared to open negotiations with your Government regarding the Canton-
Hong Kong