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to assist the Chinese Red Cross, but the Committee has to be
particularly careful that such funds would be used solely for
Red Cross purposes, and therefore strictly neutral. A few
months ago we had an application for motor trucks for the
conveyance of wounded from the front to the base hospitals,
but we felt that we could not make an allocation for this
purpose because we had no guarantee that such trucks would
not be used for other purposes, if the emergency arose,
(3), with regard to the appeal for tents, we note that Sir Archibald Clark Kerr supports Dr. Robert Lim's appeal for help in the provision of 50 tents for dressing stations, and 500 tents for accommodating wounded of the standard pattern used by the British Army.
The Executive Committee feels that
before it can sanction such an allocation it would want to be
certain that the Central Executive Committee in Shanghai, who have hitherto allocated the funds which have been sent out, agree
to a sum of money being used for this purpose, and it would also like a report from the Shanghai Committee upon the probability of delivery to the base from which Dr. Robert Lim is now working. This is especially important in view of the fall of Hankow and
Canton, for it might mean that the tents would have to be sent
via Indo-China and Yunnan, A third enquiry which is being
made is as regards the cost of the tents.
May I, therefore, ask that a cable may be transmitted to
the Central Executive Committee of the British Relief Fund in
Shanghai which would read as below, and that we may have the
reply so that the Executive Committee may have the guidance of
their Central Executive Committee in Shanghai.
"TO/