CO129-361 - Public Offices - 1909 — Page 59

[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]

CHINA RAILWAYS.

CONFIDENTIAL.

577

C.O. 12195

[March 17.]

RECO

SECTION 3.

REG 2 APR OC

No. 1.

[10109)

(No. 47.)

Sir Edward Grey to Sir J. Jordan.

(Telegraphic.) P.

Foreign Office, March 17, 1909. RESULT of London negotiations will not be known probably for about a week, but Mr. Addis anticipates that matter will be concluded successfully. Pending the announcement, Germans have undertaken to withhold their signature from the Final Agreement. There is little doubt that they will sign inmediately if the negotiations collapse.

Contents of my telegram No. 45 of the 15th instant to you have been telegraphed to Paris and Berlin groups, and Mr Addis has expressed the hope that their Ministers at Peking may be given similar instructions. In reply, Berlin group state that Syndicate cannot ineet before Friday, and therefore, until a decision has been come to, cannot approach their Foreign Office. It is best under these conditions to postpone any protest in writing on our part for fear that Germans should use it as a pretext for immediately concluding Final Agreement.

I should be glad to know whether Chinese acceptance of Germau offer has been embodied in a Preliminary Agreement and signed. Can you ascertain this?

[2193 r- -3]