CO129-494 - Governor Sir Clementi - 1926 [9-10] — Page 521

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commanding His Majesty's forces in China and of the

Commodore in charge of naval establishment at Hong Kong whether they had been furnished with a copy of

the Committee's report. They both answered in the

negative. I further inquired whether they had either

severally or jointly furnished to the War Office or

the Admiralty any recent appreciation of the situation in Kuangtung upon which the discussions of the Commit-

tee in last March might have been based. This question

again they both answered in the negative. I have also

satisfied myself that there is no record of any such

appreciation having been supplied by the Hong Kong Govern-

ment to the Colonial Office and I have not received

any report of the discussions or findings of the Committee

of Imperial Defence save only the summary in recent

telegrams.

3.

I need hardly argue the absolute necessity

that the General, the Commodore and I should always be

supplied with up-to-date information as to War Office, Admiralty and Air Ministry plans for dealing with emer- gencies in Kuang-tung; and, as the conclusions which have been unanimously reached in Hong Kong with regard to this matter appear to be at variance with those sub- mitted by the expert advisers of the Committee of Imperial

Defence, I have the honour to request that I may be sup- plied as soon as possible both with the report of the experts and with the data upon which their report is based.

I have the honour to be,

Sir,

Your most obedient humble servant,

Mlements

Governor, &c.