ан
En Clair
Sir R.Stevenson, No.63
POLITICAL DISTRIBUTION
FROM NANKING TO FOREIGN OFFICE
17th January,1948.
Repeated to Hong Kong,
Singapore, Shanghai.
MOST IMMEDIATE
D. 4.27 p.m. 17th January,1948.
R. 4.55 p.m. 17th January,1948.
Addressed to Foreign Office telegram No.63 of 17th January, repeated to Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai.
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A report reached me from Information Section His Majesty's Embassy Shanghai at about 4 p.m. today to effect that some five thousand students were demonstrating outside His Majesty's Consulate General. I was informed that Mr.Ogden was not very sanguine about the ability of police force guarding the Consulate General to carry out their duties effectively. He had accordingly sent all British women and children in Consulate General compound to office of Chinese Commissioner for Foreign Affairs for protection and had called upon Mayor to reinforce police in front of Consulate General if necessary with troops. This message was passed on to Ministry of Foreign Affairs with urgent request that they should ensure that everything possible was done to safeguard British lives and property. They were informed that Chinese Government would be held responsible if any untoward incidents occurred.
2. Soon afterwards United States Embassy informed us that according to accounts reaching them from Shanghai demonstrators were mostly students but had been re-inforced by elder persons as on-lookers. Total numbers were probably something in neighbourhood of ten thousand. Crowds were harangued by students from lorries. Slogans most prominently used were the following: "Down with the weak- kneed foreign policy of the Chinese Government", "down with British and American imperialism", "down with the slaves of British and Americal imperialism", "give us back Hong Kong and Tsingtao". (This would seem to indicate that demonstration was as much anti-Western powers as anti-British and was also being exploited by Communists).
3. Chinese appear since then to have taken more adequate measures as latest message from Shanghai (1830) is that students are gradually dispersing.
4. This evening's Chinese press continues to exhort calm and discipline but also takes unfortunate line that Canton incident although deplorable was understandable.
QQQQ
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