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News & Chronicle
2e
19/22, BOUVERIE STREET,
LONDON, E. c.4.
25th January,
1938.
Sir Harry Batterbee, K.C.M.G.,K.C.V.Q.,-
Colonial Office,
RECEIVE
Downing Street,
57 JAN 191 C. O. P
S.N.1.
Dear Sir Harry,
I am off at the end of the week to fly to Hong Kong, partly for journalistic purposes and partly on a rather weird mission to the Chinese government. Apparently the idea is that several members of that government fear a strong anti-European and anti-League movement in China in the fairly near future.
They would like, therefore, to have a series of people coming out to explain that, although for various reasons the governments cannot do much at the present time to help China, those people who have always supported the League are very anxious to help in any way they can. I am also to advise them about the best methods of getting their case before people in European countries.
I anticipate that I shall spend most of my time in Hong Kong and Hankow, and I wondered whether you would feel justified in putting in a word on my behalf to the British authorities in Hong Kong? If this request causes the slightest trouble, don't worry further about it, but especially at times like this a word or two by somebody at home may make a great difference to one's reception. I am quite all right so far as the Chinese are concerned, since Mr. T.V. Soong, the director of the Chinese National Bank and former Finance Minister, is the leading member of the Committee responsible for my visit, but I don't par- ticularly want to "go native".
With kind regards, I am,
Yours sincerely,
Vernon Bartlett