17
the life of the present Government when they may have ample opportunities to find ways and means to arrange
for the return of Hongkong to China. In the case of
the leased territory of Kowloon or New Territories, the
Baldwin Government had given a definite promise in 1926
to arrange for its early retrocession and we expect the
Labor Government will tackle the job when it gets more
firmly seated on the saddle. It is our sincere wish and
hope that the Eritish Government under the Labor regime
will do much to cement the good relations now happily
existing between this country and Great Britain. And
we on our part will endeavor to do likewise".
2. From this and other articles of Chinese Fationalist
propaganda it is evident that if and when the Concessions
at Treaty Forts are retroceded we shall have to face an
intensive Nationalist campaign, und possibly economic pressure, for the retrocession of Kowloon and of Hongkong
itself.
In
3. Recently at an official dinner-party I was asked
in a bantering tone whether the British Government would
be likely to wish to retain Hongkong if shameen and the International settlement at Shanghai were retroceded.
like bantering tone I advised my Chinese questioner, who was slightly flusned, to "wait and see", adding that he doubtless knew that Gibraltar had been successfully defended
by war more than once. That was the only time that the
question has been forced on my attention and it passed off with laughter. There is however no doubt in my mind that
the retrocession of Hongkong is considered as not being
beyond the bounds of the successes hoped for through insistence in a campaign of Nationalist blaff and propaganda.
The
Nationalists/