CO129-496 - Public Offices - 1926 — Page 94

(This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government, and should be returned to the Foreign Office if not required for official use.]

C. 9294

(1625/10/10).

30-APR 1926

Cypher telegram to Sir R.Macleay (Peking).

Foreign Office, 27th April, 1926. 8.30 p.m.

No. 131.

93

Your telegram No.157.

I

I concur generally in your views and agree that there sears little prospect of the Conference making any progress under present conditions. should therefore welcome an opportunity of closing or suspending it if this could be done without the initiative coming from us, or at least without denger to British interests. Great caution, how- ever, appears to be necessary, for if the Powers select the moment the Kuo Min Chun has been driven out and a government of a more moderate and friendly character installed to suspend the Conference, surely the Chinese will contrast this with our attitude when the Nationalists and Extremists were in power, and be led to believe that the only way of extorting concessions from the foreigner, such as the signal triumph of tsriff autonomy, is to adopt the methods and rely on the assistance of the Bolsheviks? If it would be preferable to avoid formally adjourning the Conference, would it be practicable to disband the expert staffs but still keep it technically in being in the persons of the

chier.