[? Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government, and should be returned
to the Foreign Office if not required for official use.
69
From JAPAN.
Decode
and Decypher
Sir R. Craigie (Tokyo).
25th November, 1937.
D.
1.00 p.m.
R. 9.30 a.m.
26th Rovember, 1937.
23th November, 1937.
228.
No. 722.
"R" begins:
This morning's press publishes under such headlines as "Eritain's
Acts of Treachery" a telegram from Hongkong of Fovember 24th
reporting that up to the present following munitions had been sent
through Hongkong into China.
6 British tanks made by lessrs. Vickers, each armed with two
machine guns.
200 tons of ammunition for big guns, 100 tons for small guns, over 20 tons of hand-grenades, large quantities of wire entangelements
and railway material.
Telegram further reports that two or three days ago 12 tons of
phosgene gas were despatched by Kowloon Canton Railway which Britain
is selling, while informing the world that dum dum bullets were used
by Japan at Shanghai, though of Eritish make.
The press also reports that on November 22nd 60 British fighting
planes were landed at Hongkong and sent north. "R" ends.
You may think it desirable to issue statement in the House of
Commons giving the exact figures of British munitions for China
which have passed through Hongkong since the outbreak of hostilities
as well as the amounts which have been exported to Japan.
If I
knew in advance this was to be done I could arrange publicity here.
Addressed to Foreign Office telegram 1o. 722 of November 25th;
repeated to Hongkong and Shanghai for kr. Howe as my telegram
No. 509.