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Your telegram No.323. I agree that under present circumstances policy of unconditional grant of Washington surtaxes to provinces and various regional authorities is right one and that in making such a suggestion His Majesty's Government alone among the governments of principal Powers concerned seem to be really facing facts of situation which are of course totally different from those which faced framers of
I do not however see how we Washington treaties.
It is
can carry such a policy into effect in face of un- compromising opposition of Japanese and Americans who here at any rate cannot be moved from standpoint that such unconditional grant is inconsistent with our mutual obligations under Washington treaties. true that if we for our part are prepared to disregard our Washington obligations we can openly declare our- selves in favour of a policy of unconditional grant and hope thus to force hands of other Powers into following our lead: but there is no certainty or even probability of our being able to do so and if we fall our action must to a large extent remain an empty gesture while a breach will have to be made in solidarity of Washing- ton Powers. Should we nevertheless decide on such a course it appears to me that our whole position and our claim to take isolated action will have been strengthened by fact of our sincere desire to co-operate with other Powers by joining in a form of protest
which
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