3.
6. Finally I asked him if this meant the 50
li limit of our September draft, but at this ho
jibbed so I did not pursue the matter, merely
saying that it would be a thousand pities if he
held up a settlement over reserved areas, where he
must himself know we were right. We must have
four areas and it was no use leading him to suppose
we should take less.
7. On leaving I said that as he was to be
absent in Shanghai over Easter I too would go north,
meantime reporting position to you, (sp. und.)
I should doubtless be returning shortly when his
government would have had a longer time to realise
what they were throwing away through not meeting us
over reserved areas.
8. Conversation was throughout most informal
and intimate and I am sure has advanced matters
a little, I left it that if before we separate
(? gp. omt.) manage to get from you draft of
shipping article I shall take that up with him in
hope of adding it to the body of already agreed
texts
to span.
the pillars of the bridge we hope ultimately
Addressed to Foreign Office No. 87 March 30th
repeated Peking and Tokyo, copy to Shanghai.
167