GS
observations of the Indo-Chinese mthorities on the memoranda
addressed by His Majesty's Embassy to the Ministry for Foreign
Affairs on December 1st, 1926, and January 6th, 1927. M.
Bourgois reverted to the suggestion made in the last two para-
graphs of M. Briand's note of January 26th, 1926 (see my
despatch No. 167 of January 27th, 1926), that the local
authorities in Indo-China and Hongkong should collaborate and
take common action to suppress the illicit drug traffic. HO
considered that such a procedure would be specially desirable
from the French point of view since it would place the
responsibility for the suppression of this illicit traffic
directly upon the Indo-Chinese authorities. At present the
latter wore inclined to endeavour to evade their responsi-
bilities and to leave the government offices in Paris and the
Ministry for Foreign Affairs in particular, to deal with any
difficulties which arose,
6. In this conversation, K. Bourgois gave the impression
of being anxious to do all that he could to put a stop to the
illicit drug traffic in the Far 3aat and it appears that the
blame for the present unsatisfactory situation as regards Indo-
China should be imputed almost entirely to the local French
authorities, who seem to treat their instructions from Paris
with but scant regard. M. Bourgois is, I understand, known to
Sir Malcolm Delevingne.
I have, etc.
(3gd.)
ORENE.