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.
78
FROM CHINA.
Decypher.
Sir M. Lempson. (Peking on tour).
April 24th. 1930.
D.
12.40.p.m. May 3rd.1930.
9.00.a.m. May 3rd. 1930.
No. 126.
-OOC
IMPORTANT.
consider??
My telegram No. 121. 49
Minister of Finance raised the question with me
April 22nd. I explained that certain points remained
to be cleared up and possibly His Majesty's Government
would be asking me to take direct hand in negotiations
shortly. But was it not simplest for China to accept
Article 5 of originally agreed draft when all would be
plain sailing? lie said impossible: it would cause an
outcry.
I finally manoeuvred him into tentatively offering
to ignore any preventive measures that Hongkong might
adopt on Chinese behalf. He seemed to welcome this but
said he must ask Maze to work it out first. As this
tallies with what I believe to be alternative Hongkong
plan I warmly encouraged him. But perhaps nothing will
come of it.
Addressed to Foreign Office No. 126 April 24th; repeated to Peking, Hongkong,
copy to Shanghai.