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returned to the Foreign Office if not required for official use.]
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CHINA.
Cypher telegram to Sir M. Lampson. (Peking).
April 28th, 1927. 7.10.p.m.
Foreign Office.
No. 330.
Subject to the views of the Chiefs of Staff on Commander-in-Chief's telegram to Admiralty No. 10 of April 26th and pending receipt of your reply to my telegram No. 326 which is still awaited His Majesty's Government have agreed in principle upon the re- occupation of the Hankow concession.
Apart from the military aspects of the operation, which Chiefs of Staff will further examine, the follow-
ing points still require consideration:-
(1) Should action be taken now or should we await
the result of the discussions on the Japanese proposal
reported in your telegrams Nos. 775 and 776?
Immediate action on our part now would probably
deter United States government from further participa-
tion in the conversations even to the extent suggested
by the Japanese and might for that reason be resented
by the latter. On the other hand, to await the out-
come of the new conversations would mean almost inter
minable delay and the present favourable opportunity
for action might be lost. The risk of immediate action
is on the whole preferable to the risk of delay.
(2) If immediate action is decided upon what ex-
planation, if any, should we give to the four Powers?
I suggest that our line should be that as five
weeks have now elapsed since the events of Nanking and
as there appears no prospect whatever of satisfaction
ac.
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