CO129-508-7 Opium on Macao market 10-1-1928 - 9-11-1928 — Page 94

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explanation, he would decline to go to Geneva in April as the

French representative.

3. M. Bourgois' attention was then drawn to the state-

ment in the "Seoulo" of December 6th last regarding an agree-

ment said to have been drawn up in Paris providing for the

supply of opium from Indo-China to Macao. M. Bourgois stated

that Dr. Augusto de Vasconcellos during his visit to Paris had

suggested that some such agreement should be drawn up between

the French and Portuguese authorities. The Ministry for

Foreign Affairs had definitely refused to allow any such agree-

ment to be made. Dr. de Vasconcellos had been told politely

but firmly that if the Portuguese wished to import opium into

Macao they must get it for themselves and must not endeavour

to enlist French support for this purpose. M. Bourgois added

that he was sure that Dr. de Vasconcellos knew enough of the

Far East to be able to get as much opium for Macao as he wanted

without any outside assistance.

4. M. Bourgois requested that the information contained

in the foregoing paragraph should be treated as confidential,

as he did not wish Dr. de Vasconcellos to know exactly how it

was that his suggestions had met with no success.

5. It was explained to M. Bourgois that in view of the

discussions which were to take place at Geneva in April, His

Majesty's Government were anxious before that time to reach

some agreement with the French Government regarding the

questions of the illicit drug traffic from Kwang-Chow-Wan to

Hongkong, and of the leakage from Indo-China of Indian opium

supplied to the Indo-Chinese Government for use in Indo-China.

M. Bourgois agreed that some such agreement was desirable and

promised to urge the Ministry for Colonies to accelerate the

observations/