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[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government, and should be returned to the Foreign Office when done with unless required for official use.
CHINA.
POLITICAL.
Decypher. Sir J. Jordan (Peking)
October 30th. 1915.
D. 7.17.p.m.
October 30th. 1915,
R. 8.20.p.m.
10. 275.
(K)14.
58
Secret. Your telegram No. 228.
Before giving a considered answer to questions
which involve such grave issues, I should be grateful
if I could be furnished with the names of the authors of
proposal, so that I may be able to judge of their quali-
fications for dealing with such a complex problem, I
should like also to have an outline of the measures
which they suggest for carrying the scheme into effect,
L
and of other practical details which its advocates have
presumably elaborated before submitting it to His
Majesty's Government, It seems a rather sanguine
forecast to suggest that Yuan-shi-kai and his Goverment
will be ready at our bidding to turn the Germans out of
China in existing political situation here.
The two objects to be gained seem strangely incon- mensurate with the risks involved. First scarcely merits serious consideration. German trade is alrendy practically destroyed, and there is probably no part of the world where British trade is so prosperous or so little affected by the war as in China to-day. 2nd. object seems hardly attainable unless China can be induced to declare war against Germany, and her adhes- ion to the cause would probably not be welcomed by Japan who would be obliged to modify her attitude towards China
In the present state of our Military and laval weakness the scheme would inevitably involve the delega- tion of practically the whole task to Japari. This might be justified if events in China are considered to be a serious menace to the safety of our Indian Empire, but not on the grounds indicated in your telegram.
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