by ships running the blockade. As we are already
experiencing great difficulties with the Japanese
authorities in connexion with alleged terrorist
activities in the British controlled areas in Tientsin
and Shanghai, if we were to allow Hong Kong to become a
distributing centre, for the smuggling of even small
quantities of munitions for the use of Chinese guerrillas,
ve should be likely to have even more trouble. Further,
the stopping of British shipping accused of carrying war
material for the Chinese Government has already given rise
to great difficulties. The establishment of an explosives
factory at Hong Kong might well serve to lend an air of
plausibility, however spurious, to the pretexts of the
Japanese authorities for interfering more frequently
than they already do with British shipping on the high
seas.
I...
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