CO129-484 - Governor Sir Stubbs - 1924 [1-7] — Page 137

-N SECRET.

Sir.

GOVERNMENT HOUSE,

HONGKONG. 12th March, 1924.

134

I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of

H.O./2632/24 your secret despatch of the 26th of January in which you

artzite enclosed a copy of a letter from the Home Office with regard

to Mr. Nemazee's traffic in opium,

2. The suggestion that I am not likely to take effective action to deal with opium smuggling to the Far East "unless further pressure is brought to bear by His Majesty's Government" appears to me to be somewhat uncalled for.

Fortunately the records of the Colonial Office will afford sufficient evidence of its absurdity.

3. My observation that "Messrs. Nemazes appear to be carrying on a legitimate trade" might have been better expressed. My meaning would have been clearer if the passage

had run as follows:-

"The trade which is carried on by Mr. Nemazee is "ostensibly legal. He professes to ship opium from Persia, "where export is not prohibited, to Macao, Vladivostock "and other ports where import is allowed".

That much of the opium, which he ships from Persia, ostensibly to a legitimate destination, is smuggled into China is a matter of notoriety. Unfortunately notoriety is a very different thing from legal proof and to the best of my knowledge there is no evidence that could be put before a

court of law in support of a charge of illicit trading.

I

[

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE

JI H. THOMAS, V.P.,

&c..

&c.

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