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42
enemy to evacuate Kiukiang.
The menace to Swatow has
also been removed by the arrival of reinforcements from Amoy. The Yunnanese General, Fan Shek-shang, who
for over a year has been about to capture his own
province for the Nationalists has now abandoned that
scheme in favour of co-operation in the Hunan drive,
possibly because the anti-Nationalist Yunnan adminis-
tration has recently suffered metamorphosis in a re-
publican direction. The political complexion of General Tang Chiao (Tong Kai-yiu), who has similarly
been intending for eighteen months past to capture
Canton, has now become Kuomintang "pink" of the moderate
type.
2. On the other hand Ch'an Fu-muk (see my secret
despatch of the 6th May) has come out of hiding and is
again employed by the Canton Government in some capacity
which is not clear, but may possibly be connected with
his abilities as a journalist. Another equally probable
suggestion is that he is to act as "delator" of his communist friends. His colleague Tseng Yang-fu (Tsang Yeung-po), - a speech by whom is mentioned in the latter part of enclosure No.2 to my despatch of the 6th May
and is more fully reported in the enclosed extract from
Faclo. No. 2 the Man Kwok Yat Po, Canton,-now styles himself "Head of
the Base Political Department" and in that capacity has
requested His Majesty's Consul General to put him in touch with "British editors in Canton", in order that they may receive authentic news from the fountain head. Mr. Brenan has complied so far as Canton is concerned
and transmitted the request to me for the benefit of
the British press of this Colony. I do not, of course, place the slightest confidence in Mr. Tsang or his
principals.