[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.]
From
CHINA.
Decode. Sir M. Lampson, (Peking).
10th April 1923.
D.
8.23 p.m. 10th April 1929.
R.
9.0 a.m. 11th April 1923.
No. 238. (R).
118
Addressed to Hongkong No.51.
My telegrain No.48.
Chinese telegraph office in Hongkong.
Wai Chiao-pu continue to press for reply and Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs raised matter in conversation on March 9th. I explained your attitude as I understood it from our discussions in Hongkong namely that you were determined to remove the office from sphere of Chinese political intrigue and that the only way to do this was either to close the office altogether and maintain com- munication by wireless or else to hand over the office to cable company to operate temporarily pending an agreement between North and South. Vice Minister for Foreign Af- fairs agreed that this attitude was reasonable but repres- ented that Peking authorities are much exercised over re- ported handing over of office to Canton nominee. He subsequently sent me a private message requesting me to telegraph to you suggesting the handing over of the office to cable company as a provisional compromise which would meet the views of Peking government whose subsequent pro- tests, if made at all, would be merely pro forma and could safely be ignored.
I attach importance to adhering to the terms on which you will remember I concurred in for taking such action in this matter.
Please reply as soon as possible by telegraph. Repeated to Foreign Office.