No.30045/27
CYPHER TELEGRAM from the Secretary of State for the
Colonies to the Governor of Hong Kong.
(Sent 3.0 p.m. 7th May, 1927.)
185
Your telegram of 19th April after full considera-
tion of all the circumstances and exhaustive examination of
the various proposals made by their advisers His Majesty's
Government have finally decided against either the
bombardment of the Hanyang arsenal as a sanction for the
Nanking outrages or a reoccupation of the Hankow
cone ession on the ground that the disadvantages attending both these operations greatly outweigh any advantages
which might possibly accrue from them.
Following are main considerations which have
guided His Majesty's Goverment
(1) It is evident that the Government which Chen
represents is a dwindling factor in general situation
(2) It has been impossible even after this lapse
of time to arrive at any unanimous agreement not only
with other foreign Powers but actually among the chief
British authorities concerned as to the procedure to be
adopted or the measures to be taken. Destruction of
Hanyang arsenal would involve damage to Japanese property
and carry with it grave risk of inflicting considerable
general injury and perhaps loss of life. Reoccupation of
concession would make a most unfortunate impression
in the United States of America and probably also in
other quarters. Moreover no guarantee can be given
by naval and military advisers that concession would not
have to be evacuated again at low water and His Majesty's
Government consider that risk of second evacuation is one
which
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