CO129-552-6 Traffic of arms to China 2-1-1935 - 27-12-1935 — Page 362

In any further communication this subject, please quote

No. F 555/60/10.

and address-

not to any person by name,

but to-

62

The Under-Secretary of State,"

Foreign Office,

London, S.W.1.

Sir,

FOREIGN OFFICE.

S.W.1.

19th February, 1935.

357

دن

bestay for 4. Kong

(79)

33740

34

With reference to Foreign Office letter

No. F 6915/15/10 of the 26th November 1934, and to previous correspondence regarding the export of arms to China,

I am directed by Secretary Sir John Simon to transmit to you herewith to be laid before the Secretary of State for the Colonies, a copy of a despatch which has been received from His Majesty's Ambassador in Washington, together with the enclosure therein referred to, being a copy of a note from the State Department.

It will be observed that the United States

Government are seriously perturbed by the large imports of arms into China without the National Government's

huchao, which are said to be taking place via Hong Kong. The United States Government, though not parties to the Barcelona Convention and Statute on Freedom of Transit,

are apparently willing that the Hong Kong authorities

should apply it as against exports from the United States; but they point to the fact that "Each contracting. State "shall be entitled to take reasonable precautions to ensure

It that

are really in transit"

goods

(Article 5 of the Statute).

3.

Sir John Simon is not aware of the precise steps

taken by the Hong Kong authorities to ensure that arms and

munitions are really in transit. It was stated, with the

concurrence of the Colonial Office, in his despatch of the

The Under Secretary of State,

Colonial Office.

1st/