CO129-560-15 Traffic of arms to China 18-2-1937 - 15-11-1937 — Page 178

This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government, and should be returned

to the Foreign Office if not required for official use.]

178

From JAPAN.

Decode.

Sir R. Craigie (Tokyo).

7th October, 1957.

D.

4.40 p.il.

7th October, 1957.

R. 10.40 a.m.

7th October, 1957.

No. 500. (R).

IMMEDIATE.

(ru)

My telegram No. 485.

Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs asked me to call today and on being told that I still had no reply to Japanese unofficial proposal said that naval authorities would not be able to abstain much longer from action against Kowloon-Canton railway owing to quantities of munitions that were passing over railway from Hongkong. I pointed out that what was happening in Ïlongkong was perfectly legitimate and not even contrary to Japanese "blockade" regulations. This was not denied by Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs who said that the point was that Japanese Government were most anxious if possible to avoid damage to a Chinese railway in which British capital was invested and which was of special importance to Hongkong but it was vital to Japan to stop this traffic and if no answer came Japanese naval authorities could not be expected to hold their

hand any longer.

I should be grateful for an answer tomorrow (Friday) morning saying whether or no you expect to return any reply to Japanese

suggestion.

Repeated to Hongkong.