CO129-563-18 Sino-Japanese War- stopping of British shipping by Japanese 11-9-1937 - 29-12-1937 — Page 141

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. •]

149

39A

F 6876/130/10).

TO JAPAN.

Code telegram to Sir R. Craigie (Tokyo).

Foreign Office, 24th September, 1937.

6.0 p.m.

10

No. 345. (R).

Your telegram No. 415 [of the 20th September; blockade of

the China coast].

1. Condition (b). His Majesty's Government must insist that

British naval authorities be informed whenever a vessel flying the

British flag is visited by a Japanese warship, whether the visit

establishes that vessel is in fact British or not. You should

ask Japanese Government for an assurance that this will be done.

As regards channel for passing information, His Majesty's Govern-

ment consider that arrangement under (b) of your telegram No. 393

will suffice.

2. You should leave Japanese Government in no doubt that

His Lajesty's Government will not permit more than the examination

of the certificate of registry of a British ship. This is a

simple process which could well be carried out by one man with a

knowledge of English. The presence of a "number of inspectors"

is thus quite unnecessary and unjustifiable.

Addressed to Tokyo No. 345, repeated to Nanking No. 524 and

to Commander-in-Chief.