CO129-552-6 Traffic of arms to China 2-1-1935 - 27-12-1935 — Page 281

In any further communication

n this subject, please quote

No. F 2016/60/10

and address-

not to any person by name.

but to-

"The Under-Secretary of State,"

Foreign Office,

London, S.W.1.

(I dep)

K

befay to Fr. Kong. (51)

Sir,

FOREIGN OFFICE.

S.W.1.

April, 1935.

RECEIVED

6 APR 1935

C. O. REGY

277

50

I am directed by Secretary Sir John Simon to

state that he has perused with interest the despatch from

the Governor of Hong Kong regarding two consignments of

arms from the United States to Canton which was enclosed

42 in Colonial Office printed letter No.53548/35 of the

27th March. In the despatch Sir William Peel stated that

"contracts made in Canton prior to the date of shipment from

established the right of the arms

"the United States

"to 'in transit' status..."

2.

It is not clear from the despatch what was the

nature of the contracts produced. If these contracts were

made between the actual exporters in the United States and

the ultimate consignees in Canton, it is evident that the

American exporters, in obtaining (as it is presumed they

did) permission to export the arms in question to Hong Kong,

were supplying misleading information to the United States

Government. If, on the other hand, the contracts produced

to the police authorities in Hong Kong were contracts between

the ultimate consignees and the Hong Kong Sporting Arms

Store

J

whether supported or not by further contracts for

the supply of the same articles between the Hong Kong Sporting

Arms Store and Messrs. Smith and Wesson Incorporated, New

York it will be apparent from Foreign Office letter

3

No. F 555/60/10 of the 19th February last that the

transaction/

The Under-Secretary of State

Colonial Office.