This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government, and should be
returned to the Foreign Office if not required for official use.
6
IC.22271
CHINA
2
DEC 1926
Code telegram to H.M's Chargé d'Affairs (Peking
Foreign Office, 30th November 1926, 12(Midnight)
No. 361. (R).
237
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Hankow telegram No. 176.
His Majesty's Government are strongly in favour of this solution and will be glad if the Customs administra- tion will undertake collection. You should so inform Inspector General, You should also at once inform your foreign colleagues of our views and urgently invite them to support representation which you have made to Inspec- tor General. His Majesty's Government cannot associate themselves with repetition of mistake made at Canton which led to establishment of rival Customs administration there.
In making your communication to the Inspector General you should put before him the following consider- ations.
It is quite probable that the alarming situation which has arisen at Hankow may be largely due to his own refusal to afford co-operation in Canton as requested by Nationalist government and strongly urged by us, It should be made quite clear to him that there is no prospect whatever that force will be used to protect the Customs from seizure. To save the Customs adminis- tration is our primary object. Whether it can be saved must depend to a very great extent on the attitude of the Inspector General himself, In our opinion
repetition/
PO