79
Mr. Mayhew asked whether the British Council
had ever touched the Far East. Mr. Sloss instanced
one case in which their activities had extended to
Japan, but thought that they concentrated perhaps too
much on the Balkans and on the Near East. Mr. Howe
agreed that as far as propaganda was concerned the
Far East was virgin territory. Mr. Gent remarked
that the British Council already had a great deal on
their hands, and that the funds at their disposal this
year only amounted to £250,000. Moreover the British
Council would be unlikely to consider the scheme unless
it had the support of the Colonial Office, the Foreign
Office and the Treasury, a view which Dr. Sloss was
able to confirm from recent conversations.
Sir Henry Moore thought that the support
of the Foreign Office would be required before a
favourable attitude could be expected from the Treasury.
Mr. Howe expressed the view that Lord Halifax would.
probably be keen to support the present scheme, since
it would serve to demonstrate that the recent Tokyo
conversations have by no means precluded the
possibility of further help being afforded to China.
Mr. Gent pointed out, however, that what is envisaged
is a permanent installation involving heavy recurrent
expenditure. It would therefore be necessary to make
sure that the Foreign Office support was not
forthcoming merely for reasons of immediate political
expediency: such a long-range scheme could not afford
to be justified only as a temporary measure in relation
to present Japanese activities in China.
Furthermore
at
5.