[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).
2nd June 1928.
D.
9.20 p.m. 2nd June 1923.
R. 9.0 a.m. 3rd June 1928.
No. 542. (R).
29
187
Canton telegram No.55 to Peking.
Political circumstances to which His Majesty's
Consul General refers, 1 .e. recent rapprochement with
Canton, to my mind make it more inadvisable now than last
year to start independent land operations against Bias Bay.
Li's promise to send troops may be worthless but this
has still to be proved and I am not in favour of landing
forces ourselves at any rate until such time as it has been
clearly shown that Chinese are not prepared to take any effective action against pirates.
Naval patrol seems so far to have had considerable
deterrent effect and may in the long run prove effective by itself without land operations.
I understand Commander-in-Chief shares my view as to
undesirability of land operations and thinks it unlikely
that he would be able to provide naval support during the
summer.
His Majesty's Consul General should of course con-
tinue to press Canton authorities to take suitable action.
He might also make it clear that they are so to speak on
trial and that their failure to make good might force us to take action independently. But I am against his making any specific threat of such action for the present.
Unless instructed to the contrary I am directing His Majesty's Consul General to proceed accordingly.
Addressed to Foreign Office No.542, repeated to Hongkong, Canton and Commander-in-Chief.