Cypher/OTP
F17616
DEPARTMENTAL NO. 1
FROM NANKING TO HONG KONG{
Sir R. Stevenson.
No. 126.
D. 11.30. a.m. 8th December
1946.
7th December 1946.
R. 2.26. p.m. 8th December
1946.
Repeated to Foreign Office No. 837.
F 809 6 to 17338
826 ķ
flag A 116735
and in
113
10
general
My telegrams Numbers 118 and 123.
-=1762:
I spoke seriously to Minister for Foreign Affairs last night on the subject of artificial press, campaign against the Government of Hong Kong and left with him a copy of directive to editors issued by Canton Kuomintang H. Q. He was evidently shaken and his defence was not more than half hearted.
2. The line he took in replying to me was firstly, that .C.P. had always done their very best to prevent any exacerbation of feelings over Hong Kong [gp. undec.? casualty] and were under continual criticism from Canton for being weak-kneed: secondly due account must be taken of emotional excitability of the Cantonese (here I inter- jected that they would not be so excitable if they were not stirred up artificially); and thirdly that Kuomintang organisation was rather loose-knit and he was sure that policy of directive was not that of Central Committee Party (he need hardly add it was at complete variance with policy of Chinese Government). He promised to take the matter up with the Central Committee of the Kuomintang tgroups omitted]/to continue efforts of W. C. P. to prevent trivial incidents from exacerbating the situation. same time he appealed to me to second those efforts by using my influence to ensure that Government of Hong Kong dealt rapidly and justly with such incidents. I assured him that no such action on my part would be necessary as had been amply demonstrated by the helpful attitude of Hong Kong Government on all matters raised with them of which I proceeded to give him examples. I nevertheless said I was
If it always ready to help remove any misunderstandings. would assist matters I would be only too glad to meet General Chang Fa Kwei and other Cantonese leaders now in Nanking and talk to them. Minister for Foreign Affairs said he would discuss this proposal with General Chang
At the
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