CO129-420 - Governor Sir May - 1915 [1-2] — Page 166

QUIVER HAMURIDO TADIMULA

Sir,

AMERICAN CONSULAR SERVICE.

163

Honkong, 15th January,

1915.

...IVI Asunnɩ, ASƐł

noo

Tie

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.ote vad I

KOEFL 1. Bumar

.Ignereo-Immo

I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of

the 14th of January, 1915, with reference to the last paragraph of my

letter of the 8th instant addressed to the Colonial Secretary, to which

the Governor has asked you to reply. In reply to your communication I

can say that I have no doubt that the regulations to which you refer do

not provide for the communication of consular officers with their

governments in cipher on official business. I can only say that these

regulations are not conclusive in international law or in accordance with the rules of international courtesy and couity which govern in such things. The principles which have been made necessary the exception

in your regulations in favor of the heads of diplomatic missions apply

with equal force in the case of consular officers such as the American

consular officers in Hongkong who deal in official matters directly

with their own government. Under the circumstances, therefore, I can

only protest formally and officially against the restrictions in these

regulations which prevent me from communicating freely with my govern-

ment and I ask that this protest be presented to the authorities in

London at your earliest convenience.

In the case of the mesange I have recently offered for trans-

mission the hardship brought upon this office and the Goverment of the

United States is particularly manifest for while the message deals in no

way directly or indirectly with mattere connected with the war it is

essential for its effective delivery that it be sent in code. I do not

believe that it is the intent of the British Government to prevent us

from properly performing the duties of our office under such circun-

stances and certainly in such cuses no interest of the British Govern-

ment can be advanced by the course followed.

aldaruonoƐ an

•Lindensel Imirolo) er”

•_nox_noE

jor-General

た

F.H.Kelly, C.B.,

Commanding the Troops in China,

Hongkong.

I have, etc.

Sd.

GEORGE E.ANDERSON

Consul-General.