s Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government, and should be returned
to the Foreign Office if not required for official use.]
110
From
JAPAN.
Decode and Decypher.
Sir R. Craigie (Tokyo)
33rd October 1957.
D.
4.30 p.m.
23rd October 1937,
R.
9.30 a.m.
23rd October 1937.
No. 577.
Ilip
"R" begins.
Your telegram No. 411.
I spoke as authorised yesterday to the Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs using all available arguments against further attacks on Canton-Kowloon Railway. As regards quantities of munitions I gave him some very approximate figures confidentially and unofficially showing that traffic was inconsiderable compared with China's total needs and tended to diminish quite independently of attacks on railway.
"R" ends.
I think he was impressed and will do what he can but
it will be difficult to arrest attacks now.
As regards second paragraph of your telegram I feel sure that we could have secured immunity of railway on terms proposed, (which would not have entailed prohibition
of export of munitions from Hongkong but only by this route).
But I fully appreciate the difficulties.
Addressed to Foreign Office No. 577, October 23rd,
repeated to Hongkong.
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