144. Foreign Office P 2336/154 pro.
148. Foreign Office F 2334/361/10,
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149. Yel 161
Yel 161
to F.O. from Nawking.
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150. Tel 102
151 Hong Kong Yel 176.
умень
152. P.W. Scarlett Esq F.O.
13.2.48
14-2-48.
the
!
We now have a suggested draft for the joint statement from the Ambassador at Nanking (149).
Mr. Wallace and I have considered this draft and have produced a further draft based on it, which is now submitted for approval.
The main objections we see to the Ambassador's draft arise out of paragraph 1, which suggests that this is a controversy which has only recently arisen, whereas it has been the subject of dispute with the Chinese for some 50 years, and also that the issue does not warrant a dispute between the two nations. I imagine that the Chinese would attach mich more importance to the question of jurisdiction than this and What we hope to do, in fact, is to reduce the possibility of jurisdiction issue arising in the future by converting the area into a Garden of Remembrance.
If the revised draft is agreed to here,
I will send it over to the Foreign Office for their consideration.
16.2.48.