156
advance!
I was the more surprised, because on September
30th I had spent an hour or two at General Wu Te-chen's
private residence and he told me nothing
K
and 1 am convinced
knew nothing of the intended sudden restriction.
action.
K
7. The news was received too late to take any effective
I telephoned General Wu Te-chen, but he thought
I feel with justification that he could not interfere at
the eleventh hour. I was unable to find by telephone the
Special Delegate for Foreign Affairs, or any military
authority at such confidential numbers as I had collected
against such an emergency at this period hardly any
responsible official slept at his proper residence through
fear of air raids and, as I was unable to get into touch,
-
no consent could be obtained either to a postponement of
restrictions until (say) 9 a.m., or to permission for night
navigation on that particular night. The military authorities claimed "post facto" that they had intended to
grant this permission and had so informed Bocca Tigris
Forts, but they gave no intimation to the Customs or any
one else concerned. It is uncertain whether the Shipping
Companies would have ventured to move their ships, since at
that time it was uncertain whether mines were in position.
On September 18th a British engineer had informed Captain
A.B. Cunninghame Graham, R.N., Senior Naval Officer, West
River, that he had been approached by General Yu Han-mou
to mine the Pearl River and what progress he had made was
unknown.
On this phase of the Shipping blockade I reported
in full in enclosure 2 in my Printed Letter despatch No. 133
of October 4th (to Foreign Office No.57).
8. On the morning of October 1st I received apologies
from General Yu Han-mou through the Mayor as well as the
General's