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in regard to the practicability and efficacy of a
show of force for political purposes in China. But
your United States colleague has had frankly to avow that his goverment do not accept his recommendations, and the Japanese Minister is clearly equally out of touch with the views held by the government in Tokyo. It is therefore fairly clear that His Majesty's Govern- ment could not count on the support of either of these goverments, in whose countries any policy of an active or aggressive nature would be most unpopular. As member? of the League of Nations, moreover, His Majesty's Goverment must themselves take into careful considera- tion their own obligations and responsibilities to the League, as well as the general growing tendency in the rest of the world to condemn the exercise of methods of violence in international relationships.
From the above it will appear that however justi- fiable and even sound may be in principle a policy in- volving threat or use of force in China in certain circumstances outside the elemental necessity of pro- tecting British life there, it is becoming more and more clear that in practice such a policy must be discarded as a practicable and effective means of defending British treaty rights and established interests in that country, or of bringing the Chinese to see reason.
Nothing in the above telegram is to be interpreted as modifying the instructions sent to the Commander-in- Chief on May 12th and referred to in your telegram No. 921 of June 7th.
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