CO129-382 - Public Offices - 1911 — Page 383

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

•

59813

OPIUM.

ONFIDENTIAL.

034]

No. 1.

69 21 FEB 1 [January 31.1

SECTION 2.

Sir Edward Grey to M. Cambon.

our Excellency,

Foreign Office, January 31, 1911. I HAVE the honour to inform your Excellency that I recently received a note om the Netherlands Minister in London enquiring whether His Majesty's Government ill make their consent to take part in the proposed Opium Conference at The Hague, hich Baron Gericke now informs me is postponed at the request of the Russian and hinese Governments until the 1st July next, conditional upon an assurance from the overnments of the Powers concerned that they are prepared to adopt severe measures ith a view to prohibiting the trade in, and manufacture of, morphia and cocaine in jeir respective countries.

In the course of this communication Baron Gericke states that the French overnment have informed the Netherlands Government that they are unable to come any decision with regard to the date of the opening of the conference until all the her Powers concerned have accepted the British proposals with regard to these two ngs. He also adds that your Government would be glad to be furnished with more recise information than is at present in their possession as to the requirements and ishes of His Majesty's Government in regard to this matter, and encloses a copy of a mmunication which M. Pichon addressed to the Netherlands Government on the th ultimo on the subject.*

I have the honour to transmit to your Excellency the accompanying copy of a note hich I have to-day addressed to Baron Gericke,t and I should be glad if your xcellency would be so good as to forward it to your Government in due course for eir information. I trust that it will fully and satisfactorily elucidate the views and tentions of this Government in regard to the treatment to be accorded to the said ugs at the coming conference.

I should perhaps add that His Majesty's Government are still of opinion that it ould be useless to convene a conference at all unless the participating Powers are greed in principle as to the necessity for placing effective restrictions on the anufacture, sale, and distribution of morphia and cocaine, so as to enable Eastern untries which place restrictions on the opium habit to check contraband importations these drugs.

I have, &c.

E. GREY.

Enclosure in January 16, 1911.

[1857-hh 2j

† To Baron Gericke, January 31, 1911.