160
wouds Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government, and should be returned!
to the Foreign Office if not required for official use.]
üif
From FRANCE.
Telegram (en clair) from Sir E. Phipps (Paris).
D.
By Bag.
No. 596.
R.
Saving.
October 8th 1957,
October 8th 1937.
October 9th 1937.
My telegrams Nos. 564 and 566 Saving of September 28th and
September 29th [transport of arms to China].
In continuation of the above, Monsieur léger toda, told me
that the Japanese Ambassador had finally asked for permission
to export French arms and munitions to Japan, It seems that
Monsieur Sugimura did this with his eyes open, fully realising that
the French would necessarily have to export arms and munitions
to China as well, but that his reason for making the request
was to cut the ground from under the feet of military extremists
in Japan, who have maintained for some time past that France
is unreasonably hostile to Japan and will never show the
slightest friendly feeling towards her.
onsieur Sugimura, moreover, urged very strongly that if arms
and munitions were exported to both China and Japan from
France they should not be allowed to go to the former country
via Indo-China, for in that case vast quantities of munitions
of war from various foreign countries, including Great Britain,
Germany etc., might well pour into China by that route, thus
favouring the latter Power to the grave disadvantage of Japan.
onsieur Léger says that the whole question will be considered
by a Cabinet Committee next week. He means to point out the extreme desirability of meeting Japanese wishes in regard to the closing of the route to China via indo-China, for the reasons given in my telegram ivo. 566 Saving, but he repeated to me in Strict confidence that the French would see to it that China got far larger quantities of arms and munitions than Japan.
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