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1
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.]
156
CHINA.
De cypher.
Mr. Lampson (Peking)
27th December 1926.
D.
R.
3.50 pl.
2.20 p.m.
26th December 1926.
2: Tecember 1926.
G.P.O.
No. 552.
DMEDIATE.
XXXXXX'K
My telegran No. 551 of to day.
Before submitting my concrete proposals I
venture following comment.
It may be that one of the underlying motives of your recent declaration of general policy was the hope that it would appeal especially to the South. I doubt if it will be enough: their spirit is too aggressive and their appetite too insatiable. If we are to have any chance of holding them we must be more explicit in our offer; this would have additional, and to my mind essential advantage that it would make our case clear in the eyes of the whole world if it came later to a break. We mist remember that we are faced with the very real danger of early and wholesale denunciation of treaties by the South, Let us never forget that sooner or later we may be driven, whether we like it or not, to the last ditch; and that in that event it will be worth a great deal to have an over- whelmingly convincing case to put before the public. Mere fact that we had offered to negotiate with
a united China (see your policy) would not convince
public/
rade