92
that Eugene Chen had virtually offered to accept the terms
recently stated by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs,
with their full assent, in the House of Commons, and that for
the British Government to refuse the terms at the very
moment when British troops have arrived at Shanghai would be to
get themselves represented as responsible for a break and as
having been merely playing for time pending the arrival of the
troops. Moreover, an offer to sign would either result in the
conclusion of agreementa, as desired, or at the worst, throw on
the Cantonese the onus for a break.
The Cabinet agreed
(a) On the Political Issue That the Secretary of State
for Foreign Affairs shoưd authorise Ur. O'Malley to
sign the Hankow and Kiukiang agreements. And that the
at Secretary of State should arrange, such moment and in
such manner as he deemed best (e.g. either at Hankow
or in Parliament, or both) to take note of the first
two paragraphs of the statement to be made by Mr.
Eugene Cnen (Appendix) setting cut the undertaking
not to attack Shanghai, and, ca regards the third
paragraph, to make clear that His Majesty's
(6)
Avet
Government could not bind themsolves to enter into
negotiations with official persons in any part of Chin
where such persons represent a de facto authority:
As regards the Indian fixed Brigade. That the
que tion of the possible return to India of the Indiar
Mixed Brigade was not urgent, as the second Brigade
of the Shanghai Defence Force could rot begin to
arrive at Shanghai before February 28th, and could be
postponed for a week:
(c) As regards the second Brigade of the Shanghai
Defence Force. That, notwithstanding the strong
political objections to billeting troops outside the
international settlement, evenon British property,
in view of the Naval Commander-in-Chief's statement
that this measure was necessary for tactical