REOPENING OF PEARL RIVER TO TRADE: Reports conversation with Japane se
BY SAFE HAND
93
(2 copies)
Copies to:-
Foreign Office, No. 67 ((2 copies) (By airmail)
Covernor, Hongkong,No. 88
E., Tokyo, No. 25
S.N.O.W. R.
$
No. 10
Sir,
Consul-General on May 1st.
British Consulate-General,
CANTON
9th May,
1939.
30
His Excellency
With reference to my savingram No. 4 of April
4th I have the honour to enclose a minute of a
conversation which I have recently had with my Japanese
colleague on the subject of the reopening of the Pearl
River to trade. In the interval I have of course
approached him frequently on the same question, but
invariably with the resulting reply that nothing was
possible at present owing to military movements.
2.
I venture to suggest that, with reference to
the last paragraph of the enclosed minute, it could now
do no harm, and might do some good, if Sir Robert Craigie
were to keep this matter constantly before the attention
of the Japanese central authorities at Tokyo. As in the
case of the five British ships which have been detained at
Canton since October 13th last (see Tokyo telegram No.24
to me, of May 3rd, repeated to Your Excellency as telegram
No. 298) it is true that the local Japanese authorities
maintain that they are merely carrying out general
instructions received from Tokyo, while the Japanese
authorities at Tokyo appear to maintain that the question
is one for the decision of the Japanese authorities on the
spot. Be that as it may, I feel that representations made
at Tokyo might have, and generally have in fact, some effect
on/
Sir Archibald Clark-Kerr, K.C.M.G.,
tc.,
etc.,
etc.,
His Majesty's Ambassador,
British rimbassy, SHANGHAI.
Page 30Page 31