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The WI Wallace

AMENDED DISTRIBUTION 5th February 1948.

Cypher/OTP

POLITICAL DISTRIBUTION

FROM NANKING TO FOREIGN OFFICE

Sir R. Stevenson.

No. 120.

D. 6.31. p.m. 3rd February

1948.

3rd February 1948.

Re 8.55. p. m. 3rd February

1943

Repeated to Hong Kong,

IMPORTANT

Addressed to Foreign Office telegram No. 120 of February 3rd repeated to Hong Kong.

Restricted.

Your telegram No. 71: United States local reactions to Kowloon City incident.

Such opinions as local Americans may have formed over the rights and wrongs of the Kowloon City incident have, up to the present, been almost entirely subordinated to their indignation over the Canton outrage.

2. The Shanghai United States-owned "Evening Post and Mercury" came out on January 17th with an editorial sharply critical of the Chinese Government. It made the point that the Kowloon City incident was a small matter fanned to rioting by elements which the Chinese Government were too incompetent to control and that this lack of control resulted in the deplorable incidents of January 16th in Canton,

3. The behaviour of Americans in Canton on January 16th was most helpful. It is no exaggeration to state that several British subjects owe their safety and possibly their lives to local United States citizens. United States authorities also gave assistance in getting official messages to this Embassy from Canton and saw to it moreover that this example of collaboration was fully known to the Chinese Government.

4. Typical of United States reaction was that of United States Minister (gp. undec.] Mr. Clark, who was in Canton at the time of the outrage [?gp. omitted,] declared in a press interview that the Chinese action had harmed the Chinese infinitely more than the British, He also

/intima ted