Shinke 44
[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government, and should be
returned to the Foreign Office if not required for official use.]
40
(F 5213/148/10)
To JAPAN.
Cypher telegram to Sir R. Craigie (Tokyo), Foreign Office, 2nd June, 1939.
9.45 p.m.
No. 259.
Shanghai telegram No. 498 [of 1st June: Japanese insistence
on military permit for certain ports].
lease make representations to the Japanese Government accordingly against this interference with British shipping and ask that immediate instructions should be sent to
appropriate authorities to refrain from insistence on military permits. You should also draw attention to undesirability of utilizing customs to enforce measures of a purely military nature, and the effects on their integrity if such a demand is
maintained.
2. Should Japanese Government attempt to disclaim responsibility you should point out that in so far as the order derives its origin from Japanese military requirements and its issue is dependent on Jananese cooperation with the Provisional Government it would seem properly to the Japanese Government that representations should be addressed (in this connexion compare paragraphs 4 and 5 of my telegram No. 220 [of 13th May]).
3. S.S. "Wantung" of Butterfield and Swire sails for
Haimen on 4th June, and firm are applying to customs for
clearance accordingly.
Repeated to Shanghai No. 427.
Page 40Page 41