CO129-560-15 Traffic of arms to China 18-2-1937 - 15-11-1937 — Page 31

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x

1.e.

I attach a copy of a telegram from Tokyo

132 which the Foreign Office have sent over to me.

Sir R. Craigie is apparently of the opinion that it

is possible to save the Kowloon-Canton Railway from

attack if we can convince the Japanese authorities

that the importation of munitions by the Railway

is inconsiderable. The Railway has already been

bombed but the latest telegram from Canton reports

that the damage was slight and was repaired over-

night.

I no the 7.0.

ball and

ampending

Consignments

ith aby rail

!

X

It will be extremely difficult to convince

the Japanese, on the information supplied by the

0.A.G., that the volume of traffic in munitions over

the Railway is inconsiderable. The Japanese will

almost certainly want detailed figures not only for

the past but for the future, and if this is supplied

it may lead to further embarrassing requests for

details of shipments and of particular consignments,

including, possibly, even the time of their departure

from Kowloon. To supply this would obviously be

objectionable, since the Japanese could terminate

the agreement when they wished and would be given an

opportunity to bomb a particular valuable consignment

since they would be supplied with all the information

as to the time of its departure. Moreover, we have

forbidden the use of British rolling stock for the

transport of munitions over the Chinese section and

the Chinese rolling stock would therefore be

particularly liable to attack. If a state of war

existed, it would probably be an unneutral act to

supply this information to the Japanese.

However, the F.0. think that the attempt is

worth making and, after discussion with Mr. Gent, I

attach