66.
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78
AMENDED COPY. *
From JAPAN.
Decypher.
Sir R. Craigie (Tokyo).
14th October, 1937.
D.
7.30 p.l.9
14th October, 1957.
R.
3.50 p.., 14th October, 1937.
No. 552.
Your telegram No. 587.
I requested Minister for Foreign affairs yesterday to
have instructions, as to notification, sent at once to the Japanese Commander-in-Chief leaving over for the moment"
the question of documents to be examined and the number of
officers to be employed in verification. He promised to take
the atter up at once with Ministry of Marine.
The reason for
delay had been the desirability of covering all points in one
instruction to avoid the risk of confusion. I also communica--
ted particulars of vessels stopped without proper procedure
having been observed.
Reference in your telegram to channel of communication is
not clear to me as this question was settled some time ago.
Notification will be via Haval Attaché on the question of
whether this atter can be regarded in the light of "agreement",
I venture to offer the following observations: our object is
presumably to safeguard British shipping as far as possible
from delay and inconvenience, without prejudice to our legal
rights. This can be done either by over friendly arrange-
ment with the Japanese Government (fully reserving our legal
rights) or by instituting a system of convoy. We are on the
road to the first alternative - even the Japanese acceptance
of our conditions would certainly guarantee in the eyes of
the
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