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CYPHER TELEGRAM from the Officer Administering
the
Seever th
Government of Hong Kong, to the Secretary of State for
the Colonies,
Dated 30.8.37. Received 10,38 a.m. 30.8.37.
14
No.163 Secret.
Addressed to the Secretary of State for the Colonies
telegram No.163 of the 29th August repeated to Nanking
Commander in Chief.
You may shortly receive applications from Matheson
? and Co., London through the Foreign Office for considerable
shipments of tanke, aeroplanes and other munitions ordered by
Nanking Government for delivery to Canton through Hong Kong.
No objections from strictly Colonial point of view but questions
of principle arise slightly different from diversions of Tientain
or Shanghai cargo to Canton hitherto sanctioned by the Ambassador.
Though this is question of diplomacy I venture the
opinion that suggested embargo on re-exportation by Colonial
legislative action is undesirable for the following reasons:-
Firstly: such re-provisioning can now hardly arrive
in time to affect serious Shanghai situation.
Secondly: internal communications only to Canton are
ao rudimentary that Japan could sever this connexion without
difficulty if necessary.
?
Thirdly: inclusion of Japan as destination in suggested
enbergo would delude no-one.
Fourthly: We should not without very good reason depart
in the present situation from the ordinary poace-time procedure,
Fifthly: Canton is openly disappointed with Britain's
strictly neutral attitude and an embargo would only be a further
irritation. It is not for me to assess the weight of contrary
considerations