CO129-556-13 Traffic in arms to China 6-1-1936 - 13-1-1937 — Page 62

Sir:

COPY

DEPARTMENT OF STATE,

WASHINGTON

September 14, 1936.

62

I refer to the Ambassador's note of July 1, 1936,

and previous correspondence, in regard to the regulations

governing the exportation of arms, ammunition and imple-

ments of war destined to China, and have to inform you

that I am in receipt of information which would appear

to indicate that the pertinent regulations of the French

Government are still unsatisfactory if judged by the

criteria set forth in our former correspondence on this

subject.

The information which I have received

reason to believe it accurate

and I have

is to the effect that the

Yunnan Provincial Government placed an order on June 12

with the Groupe de Chine for the following:-

12 mountain guns, 75 millimetre calibre 12,000 shells for these guns

40 trench mortare, 61 millimetre calibre 10,000 shells for these mortare

4 trench ortars, 120 millimetre calibre 400 shells for these mortars

10 machine guns (Hotchkiss)

4 light tanks (Zenault), two of which are

equipped with one light machine gun each, and two of which are equipped with one gun each of 37 millimetre calibre

6 motorcycles with aide-car

6 rotorcycles with side-car, equipped with one

light machine gun each

Optical instruments for the direction of the

artillery fire

10,000 rifles (Belgian)

10,000,000 cartridges for these rifles (Belgian)

It appears that no huchao covering this proposed

shipment was obtained from the Central Government; that the

Yunnan Provincial Government has not requested a huchao for it;

and that the Groupe de Chine has not insisted that it do so,

The/