[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.]
(F 1578/57/10).
To CHINA
78
telegram to Sir M. Lampson. (Peking).
Foreign Office. April 5th, 1929. 6.00 p.m.
My telegram
Indemnity) paragraph 5.
fof April 5th: (Boxer
Treasury have concurred reluctantly in decision not to link indemnity question with that of the payment of debts to British firms, and consider course recommended in paragraph 2 of your telegram No. 144 to be reasonable. They think His Majesty's Government may incur considerable criticism in
deciding to hand back large sums to China without first securing settlement of large and acknowledged debts due to British nationals.
this argument.
There is force in
But I must leave it to your dis-
cretion whether and how debt question can be dealt
with simultaneously yet apart from indemnity question. It would certainly help me to get
parliamentary approval if Chinese will give proof of readiness to pay their debts.