X
x
X
X
65
2. In conversation I gathered from Mr.Gourlie that
he represents the Inter-Continent Corporation which is known
in Hongkong as the Inter-Continent China Corporation.
This
Corporation manufactures Curtis Wright aeroplanes under the
name of the Central Aircraft Manufacturing Company which is
registered in New York. This Company has been building
aeroplanes in China for the last six years, first in
Hanchow which is about 100 miles south-west of Shanghai, and
subsequently in Hankow. Manufacture has also recently been
going on in Hengchowfu which is about 100 miles south-west
of Changshu and is also known as Henyeng. The normal output
of the Company in China was according to Mr.Gourlie 60 to
70 machines a month. The controlling interest in the
Company is American, but the Company has close associations
with the British Sperry Company which provides material
required in connection with landing grounds etc.
3.
When Hankow was seriously threatened, Mr. Gourlie's
Company removed the greater part of its machinery to Hongkong
and despatched its specialist staff consisting of some
500 expert Chinese and 20 white personnel to Yunnanfu
leaving the empty buildings in Hankow. It was at first
thought that the Company would transfer its seat of operations
to Yunnanfu and, of the machinery which had been removed
to Hongkong, some 200 tons were transferred to Haiphong where
they are at present. It was subsequently decided that
Yunnanfu would be an unsuitable place for the re-erection
of the aeroplane factory, partly because Yunnanfu has
already been subjected to two air raids and partly because
of some doubt as to the transport facilities between
Haiphong and Yunnanfu.
The opinion of Mr. Gourlie, supported
to what extent I do not know by his seniors, was that the
security/