(40)
(1.5)
-
2
32
2. In the following August however the receipt
of your telegrams Nos. 103 and 113 indicated some mistake
and although its exact nature was not understood, its
existence and the actual facts regarding your instructions
were communicated in guarded terms to Nguyen's solicitors
who passed them on to Messrs. Light & Fulton in equally
guarded terms. They also told Nguyen himself and from
that time he abandoned all idea of going to England and
concentrated on an endeavour to reach Vladivostok.
3. Here again serious difficulties arose. Nguyen
would not trust himself on any but a Soviet ship
proceeding direct to Vladivostok and such ships do not
call at Hong Kong. An endeavour was made to arrange
for him to proceed under surveillance to Singapore, but
the Government of the Straits Settlements found themselves
unable to concur. Finally Nguyen's solicitors were told
that their client must be out of the Colony on or before
the 15th January to which date I had extended the time
limit by order under Section 6 (1)(c) of the Ordinance
and that he would be freed from custody and
surveillance a few days before that date in order that
he might depart with as much secrecy as he could devise.
After much argument it was arranged that he should be
fetched from the Prison hospital in a car by a Cadet
Officer attached to the Secretariat for Chinese Affairs
on the afternoon of the 28th December and released in
the streets, on the clear understanding that after the
15th January he remained in the Colony at his peril.
This scheme was duly carried out but on the 15th
January information was given to the police by the
French Consul to the effect that Nguyen had been to
Singapore and was then on his way back to Hong Kong and
on