CO129-563-18 Sino-Japanese War- stopping of British shipping by Japanese 11-9-1937 - 29-12-1937 — Page 100

COPY.

M. 13170/37.

Mercantile Marine Department,

Board of Trade,

S.W.1.

101

13th October, 1937.

sir,

I am directed by the Board of Trade to refer to your

letter (F.7447/130/10) of the 6th October with which was

enclosed a copy of telegram No. 488 from Sir Robert Craigie

regarding Japanese interference with Chinese junks and

lighters engaged in discharging cargo from British vessels.

The Board note the Japanese Government's "assurance”

that their naval vessels will refrain as far as possible

from obstructing the passage of Chinese junks and lighters

engaged in discharging cargo from British vessels, but they

are at a loss to understand the meaning of that sentence of

the telegram under reference which reads "Should

circumstances indicate that unloading is not legitimate,

Japanese warships will take action to stop them".

The Board suppose that by this is meant that if the

cargo discharged from a British vessel into Chinese junks

consists of troops or armament stores (vide telegram 321 of

the 27th August from Tokyo) it will be considered as "not

The Under-secretary of state,

Foreign Office,

3.7.1.

/legitimate

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