COLY.
DRAFT CONFIDENTIAL.
11th January, 1938.
20
C
Dear Mr. Forbes,
I have received your confidential letter of 6th
instant relating to your recent interview with the Governor
in connexion with the movement of Chinese Customs vessels
in Hongkong waters, and the Governor's friendly attitude to-
wards the Customs is much appreciated. I am unable, however,
to share the view that our preventive vessels should continue
to exercise normal activities during the present abnormal
· political conditions and, as Admiral Little correctly sur-
mises, thus provoke possibly unnecessary incidents which
might embarrass the Colonial Authorities and would unquestion-
ably embarrass the Customs Administration. Moreover there
are other considerations at stake, and our fixed policy is
that Customs preventive work afloat shall be entirely aban-
doned for the time being in order to avoid complications with
hostile forces apart altogether from third party risks.
In brief from our point of view the issue embraces more than
the local question of Hongkong since it is connected with the
major one of the maintenance of the integrity of the Customs
Service, with which all countries having trade with China are
deeply concerned. I may add that I do not consider that the
temporary abandonment of our established right to use Hongkong
waters is implied by our provisional action in laying up our
ships in the harbour when the same policy is adopted elsewhere
on the coast.
Finally the utility of the sea preventive measures
which could be taken by us in the Kowloon district at present
is comparatively negligible and, as I have already intimated,
not commensurate with the risks involved.
Yours truly,
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