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Minister at Peking suggesting that the time had come for him to send instructions with a view to the immediate withdrawal of the British inhabitants, who henceforward should be warned that they remained entirely at their own risk and that His Majesty's Government had no responsibility for their safety."
6. Subsequent to the submission of the Report by the Chiefs of Staff, referred to in paragraphs 5 and 6 above, telegrams were received from China intimating that the Cantonese authorities were taking steps to interfere with the free movement of ships on the Yangtse. In view of this information the Chiefs of the Naval and Air Staffs (the Chief of the Imperial General Staff being absent from London) drew up a supplement to the Report (C.I.D. Paper 784-B) the terms of which were as follows:-
Recent telegrams from China indicate increasing determination on the part of the Cantonese authorities and the forces under their command to take steps to enforce their will on the Yangtse and oppose with force the free movement of ships up and down the river.
Guns are being mounted to cover the anchorage at Nanking.
A gun on Lion Hill at Nanking is kept trained on ships under way. Ships on passage up and down the river report being fired on by guns of small calibre, machine guns and rifles.
Mines are being reported as being conveyed up the river in a Chinese gunboat.
The situation is likely to be aggravated by delay in taking definite action. Each day of further delay will render more difficult the carrying out of the plans put forward in the Report."
7. This Supplement was laid before the Cabinet at its meeting held on the 31st March, 1927 (reference, Cabinet 21 (27), Conclusion 3), when it was decided that-
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Pending the receipt of a reply from the Naval Commander-in-Chief to the telegram asking for his opinion, the Cabinet were unable to take any action in regard to the Supplement, and were only able to take note thereof.”
8. At 3 P.M. on the 1st April, 1927, the Chiefs of Staff Sub-Committee again assembled to consider Admiral Tyrwhitt's reply to the telegram referred to in paragraph 6 (b) above and also the steps which should be taken to protect the Eastern Extension Company's telegraph office at Sharp Peak, near Foochow. As a result of their deliberations a further Report was drawn up and circulated to the Cabinet (C.I.D. Paper No. 785-B), the Conclusions and recommendations of which were as follows :-
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(1.) If the forts at Wusung are a danger to the defence at Shanghai they should be dealt with at once and destroyed. This question is quite independent of the Nanking ultimatum and its sanctions.
The
(2.) The proposal to include in an ultimatum the withdrawal of all Chinese armed forces other than police from an area within 12 English miles measured from the mouth of Soochow Creek is not recommended for adoption, as we have not the force required for the defence of so large an area. conditions, owing to the intensive propaganda behind the lines and the difficulties of dealing with a large hostile population, are far less favourable than they were at the time of the Taiping rebellion, when we understand this step was taken.
(3.) We support the proposals of the Chief of the Imperial General Staff in favour of sending further reinforcements to China.”
On the major question of reprisals for the Nanking outrages, the Chiefs of Staff reserved their opinion pending the receipt of further information from the Naval Commander-in-Chief, while in regard to the telegraph office at Sharp Peak it was agreed to instruct the Naval Commander-in-Chief to take measures for its protection if possible.
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