poss
113
He was
from Les it more he explained that he was referring to consignments parcs and munitions not prepared to say that the same dostive applies to food supplies for the Japanes Army
that it would be a matter of permitting consignments
from Japan to be railed across our territory to
Japanese forces in the occupied area. We were certainly
under no obligation to do that.
La
In reply to a questing_
Wing Commander Foster was fully satisfied
were able to
the Foreign Office had arrive
at this view.
Mr. Jarrett referred to the Japanese restric-
tions on non-Japanese shipping in the Canton River,
and he thought that a situation might arise in which
we could make use of the Hong Kong-Canton Railway
facilities as a bargaining counter with the Japanese
in the matter of river facilities for our shipping,
but the Foreign Office did not consider that this
would be of much value for bargaining; the Japanese
had the whip hand in the situation, and were not
likely to be influenced in the river question by
Hong Kong's interest in the restoration of road and
rail communications with Canton. There would be
strong political criticism here, moreover, if Hong
Kong were to be made available to the Japanese forces
for the transmission of munitions.
Sir H. Moore referred to the interests of
the bond-holders of the Chinese section of the rail-
way, on which the Foreign Office representatives
expressed the view that it might become necessary to
inform the bond-holders that major considerations of
policy prevented H. M. G. from pressing their claims expedite
the restoration of traffic on the railway. The
War Office representative had no observation, except
to say that they agreed it would be contrary to the
he
defence