CO129-535-3 Nguyen ai Quoc- request for extradition to Indo-China by French authorities 29-6-1931 - 26-1-1932 — Page 23

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some supervision over his movements could be

secured. But in any event the Foreign

Office are anxious that he should be detained

for sufficient time for the matter to be

discussed with the French Government, and

I agreed that we should send a telegram to the

Governor suggesting this course.

Draft telegram submitted.

After

this telegram has gone we must consider

whether to make any reply to the concluding

sentence of the Governor's telegram of the 12th

October. This is a matter for the Legal

Advisers, but it seems to me very undesirable

that the Hong Kong Government should attempt to

bargain with Nguyen ai Quoc with a view to the

termination of any steps which he may take to

obtain costs or damages from the Hong Kong

Government. It seems to me that it is a

weak point in the proposal to withdraw the

order under Section 6 of the Ordinance, that

such action would seem to imply that in issuing that order the Hong Kong Government had exceeded their powers. The Full Court

have not decided in any such sense and, pending the

appeal to the Privy Council, it seems unwise to

admit, however indirectly, that the Hong Kong

Government is in doubt in the matter.

#Qlowell

22-10-31

Jr. J. 23/10/31

at onch

Go Tel. No.131 ts for HK. (hs 37 am) — 23 Oct. 1931

(~837 -23