-2-
that the assurances given in Clarke's letter referred
specifically to shipments destined to the Chinese
Government, and observes that licenses are occasionally
applied for to authorize the shipment of small quantities
of small arms and small arms ammunition consigned to the
Shanghai International Settlement municipal police for
its own use and that such shipments are frequently routed
via Hong Kong. It is also stated that shipments of arms
from the United States to Thailand are without exception
transshipped at Singapore.
The State Department has also issued a license
authorizing the exportation of twenty machine guns to
Liberia. The Liberian Government purchased these guns
for its own internal defense under a plan of which the
Foreign Office is informed. Licenses authorizing the
exportation of ammunition for these guns will probably
be applied for in the near future. The Liberian Govern-
ment desires to ship these arms on ships of the American
West African Steamship Line. These vessels are scheduled
to touch at Freetown en route to Monrovia.
The Embassy is now requested to ascertain whether
the Foreign Office is willing to give assurances that
these shipments of arms to Shanghai, Thailand and Liberia
119