24
questions. It appeared to me therefore that if the matter
had to be further pressed His Majesty's Government would
find a means less dangerous than the one proposed.
Pressure could be brought to bear on Peking by a threat on
the Burman frontier
J
their most vulnerable point, and
one at which British interests can be greatly advanced. Or
if such action should be inadmissible in view of the
Treaty with Japan to respect the inviolability of Chinese
territory, it might be possible to retain the troops (now
due to withdraw) temporarily in Thibet. The compensation
claimed is so paltry a sum, that the mere threat of such
action would probably compel the Central Government to pay
the claim themselves or to coerce the Viceroy by means of
an Imperial Edict. "I am impressed, I added, with the con-
"-viction that drastic action locally will have the
"maximum of ill results and the minimum of good results".
In these circumstances I proposed to telegraph to Your
Lordship in the above sense or alternatively to His
Majesty's Minister at Peking. The Admiral, however,
had
already written to the Consul-General in the sense of Sir
John Jordan's telegram (enclosure 3) and he urged that
"further action on our part should be postponed until the
*result of Mr. Mansfield's interview with the Viceroy has
been
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.