CO129-563-19 Sino-Japanese War- fund for relief of distress in China 5-10-1937 - 17-11-1937 — Page 19

COPY OF LETTER SENT TO MR. HOWE. (AIRMAIL.)

CHINA ASSOCIATION.

161, Shell-Mex House,

Strand Lendon,W.C.2.

11th November, 1937.

19

Dear Mr. Howe,

The Fund for the Relief of Distress in China.

All the essential facts regarding the peition of the Fund for the Relief of Distress in China have already been communicated to Mr.Cald er- Marshall and I am now writing to give you the story as a whole.

First, I will take the telegrams sent to and from the Chambers Commerce in Sha ŋghai and Hongkong in their order.

On September 9th in reply to a telegram from the Chamber in Shanghai of August 28th asking us to see if we could raise a fund, preferably under the auspices of the Lord Mayor, we telegraphed to them:

"YOUR TELEGRAM 28TH AUGUST MAYOR DECLINES OTHER POSSIBILITIES

DOUBTFUL AIRMAIL FOLLOWING".

On September 23rd we cabled to them as follows:

"CHINA ASSOCIATION PROPOSE LAUNCHING PUBLIC APPEAL RELIEF DISTRESS

CHINA CABLE CONCRETELY AS POSSIBLE WHAT BEING DONE LOCALLY INFORM TIENTSIN REQUESTING THEM CABLE SIMILARLY".

The Minutes of the meeting at which this decision was taken had been sent to the Chamber of Commerce on October 1st. On October 2nd we telegraphed to them:

"REFERRING REUTERS SUMMARY APPEAL FOR RELIEF DISTRESS CHINA PROCEED

FORTHWITH CONSTITUTE ORGANISATION CORRESPONDING IN BREADTH AND PRINCIPLE WITHOURS

HOURS STOP CABLE SOONEST POSSIBLE STEPS TAKEN".

Then, on October 5th in reply to their cable of the same day stating that from Reuters summary it appeared that relief was to be given to Chinese only, we cabled to them:

"REUTERS SUMMARY APPARENTLY OMITTED FOLLOWING RESOURCES BRITISH HOSPITALS BREAKING DOWN WHILE ARE ALSO BRITISH SUBJECTS URGENT NEED OF HELP STOP REGARDING ORGANI LATION COOPERATE CONSUL-GENERAL

On October 7th we cabled to the Chamber of Commerce at Hongkong:

"REFERRING REUTERS SUMMARY OUR APPEAL RELIEF DISTRESS CHINA

PUBLISHED HERE OCTOBER 2 PROCEED I COOPERATION SHANGHAI CREATE LOCAL ORGANISATION CONSULT HONGKONG GOVERNMENT".

The Foreign Office were good enough to arrange for a communication to be cabled to the British Authod d es in Shanghai in regard to our cable to the Chamber there of the 5th and the Colonial Office kindly telegraphed a communication to the British Authorities at Hongkong regarding our cable to the Chamber of Commerce an Hongkong of the 7th quoted above.

On ctober 14th we cabled to the Chamber at Shanghai:

"YOUR CABLE FIFTH ANXIOUSLY AWAITING DETAILS ORGANISATION STOP

SIMULTANEOUSLY GIVE GENERAL IƆSA OF MOST URGENT REQUIREMENTS."

To this they replied on the 15th giving the personnel of the proposed central committee; suggesting that it should apportion funds between the various areas which would be organised