120
Foreign Office, S.W.1.
2nd February, 1948.
(* 1393/154/10)
Confidential
Да Dear Harion
a copy of his
kees williams has sent us a copy correspondence with you about the recent troubles &t Kowloon and Canton, ending with his letter to you of the 26th January.
as regards Canton, the main facts as we know them at present were given in my reply to wr. Martin Lindsay on the 20th Jamary, a copy of which I enclose for reference. His Majesty's Ambassador did not however usk for a public enquiry, as the Chinese Goverment have toldus that they are themselves investigating the detuila of the incident, and we are now a aiting the results of this investigation.
In the meantime, it would I think be premature to express a derinite upinion as
opinion as to the background of the trouble at Canton. we know however thut Kuomintang officials took part in the demonstration and that some of those most active in the actual sucking and burning of the Consulate-General were morbers of the can in Chu Yi Youth Corps (a Kuomintang sponsored body) from Chung Shan University and other local institutions.
The Tuct is that while Chinese may be, and usually are, friendly enough to individuals, there is a very strong latent anti-foreign feeling, particularly among the intelli¿entsia and students, and us for the ordinary
man in the street" he generally dislikes foreigners, much as the average Englishmen of say forty years ago did. Outbreaks of violence are always liable to occur, without much warning, more especially in South China
#
where
J. Harrison sy., M.P.
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