[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.
Printed for the Committee of Imperial Defence. April 1927.
124
34
SECRET.
785-B.
(Also Papers Nos. C.O.S. 71 and C.P. 113 (27).)
COMMITTEE OF IMPERIAL Defence,
Copy No.
33
THE SITUATION IN CHINA. APRIL 1, 1927.
Report by the Chiefs of Staff.
WE met this afternoon, Friday, the 1st April, at 3 P.M., to consider the reply by Admiral Sir Reginald Tyrwhitt (Appendix) to Admiralty telegrams No. 655, dated the 30th March, and Nos. 658-9,* dated the 31st March, asking for his views on the proposals contained in our Report of the 29th March (Paper No. C.O.S. 69).
We submit the following recommendations :-
(1.) If the forts at Wusung are a danger to the defence at Shanghai they should be dealt with at once and destroyed. This question is quite independent of the Nanking ultimatum and its sanctions.
(2.) The proposal to include in an ultimatum the withdrawal of all Chinese armed forces other than police from an area within 12 English miles measured from the mouth of Soochow Creek is not recommended for adoption, as we have not the force required for the defence of so large an area. The conditions, owing to the intensive propaganda behind the lines and the difficulties of dealing with a large hostile population, are far less favourable than they were at the time of the Taiping rebellion, when we understand this step was taken.
(3.) We support the proposals of the Chief of the Imperial General Staff in
favour of sending further reinforcements to China.
Pending the reply by the Naval Commander-in-chief to telegrams sent by the Admiralty asking some further questions for purposes of elucidation, we are unable to discuss the wider question as to how pressure is to be put upon the Cantonese if they should decline to comply with an ultimatum.
(Signed)
BEATTY.
G. F. MILNE. H. TRENCHARD.
2, Whitehall Gardens, S.W.1, April 1, 1927.
[15975B]
* Not printed.
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