through Canada.
94
In the course of the discussion it transpired that no shipping transport could be available for the next 2 or 24 months, and that the withdrawal would in any event have to be
very gradual.
After discussion from the point of view of the military, political, financial and shipping considerations involved,
the Cabinet agreed --
(a) That the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs should consult the British Minister at Peking on the subject, and that if, as the result, he should feel satisfied that a reduction could safely be made in the Shanghai Defence Force, Sir Austen Chamberlain should be empowered to authorise the Secretary of State for War to take the necessary disposition for the withdrawal of
troops:
(b) That the Secretary of State for War and the President of the Board of Trade should collaborate to inform the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs as to the dates at which it would be possible to withdraw the troops, for use by Sir Austen Chamberlain in drafting
his telegram to Sir Miles Lampson.
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