B.2505/40.
Burma Office,
Whitehall,S.W.1.
7th June 1940.
34.
28
27
Dear Ashley Clarke,
Gent has sent me a copy of your letter to him of the 22nd May, No.F.2963/80/10 about the 4 transport aircraft at Hong Kong which the Chinese Government wish to have assembled.
The Chinese Councillor says that the cases containing the parts are too big to convey over the mountain road from Bhamo to Loiwing for assembly there. As to this, you will remember that the Governor of Burma in his telegram of 24th April, 238-C. (copy to Foreign Office under our endorsement B.2031 of 30th April) said he was prepared to consider minor improvements to facilitate the transportation of long and bulky pases over this road as an alternative to acceptance. of the Chinese proposal for the lease of land at Lashio for assembling machines there. Further it appears from Gent's letter of 22nd May, No.53846/40, of which he sent a copy to you! that 3 of the aeroplanes in question are Vultee machines. Now in his telegram of 24th May, 308-C (of which we sent a copy, erroneously I am afraid, to Ronald on 28th May, but of which, together with connected telegram 147 to Burma and 314-G from Burma I enclose copies for easy reference) the Governor mentioned that Mr.Pawley had suggested the diversion to Allied use of long range bombers of the type "83 Vultee" which were to be assembled evidently at Loiwing. I do not know whether 83 Vultee machines are identical with the Vultee commercial transport 'plane now at Hong Kong, nor whether, if they are not, the parts of the two types are necessarily very different in size; but the possibility of there being no great difference seems sufficiently real to make one think that, if the 83 Vultée type can be sent up to Loiwing to be assembled there, there is no insuperable difficulty about reducing the unassembled Vultee commercial transport machines to equal dimensions. The upshot of this is to suggest that, if the Chinese authorities really desire our assistance in getting the machines now at Hong Kong assembled at Loiwing, it would be worth while their ascertaining from Hong Kong what are the actual dimensions of the cases, whether, if they are very large they can be reduced further, and getting this information conveyed to Rangoon to see whether transport by the Bhamo route is, absolutely impossible.
H. Ashley Clarke, Esq.
The/