[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.]
40
From CHINA.
Decypher.
Mr. Howe (Ilanking).
7th October, 1957.
D.
R.
(Via M/T.) 7th October, 1937.
5.45 p.1.9
7th October, 1937.
No. 559.
Tokyo telegram No. 457, last paragraph, and Tokyo telegram
No. 439.
The immediate Japanese military objective in Forth China seems to be to clear the five provinces (Hopei, Chahar, Suiyuan, Shansi and Shantung) of Central Government troops so as to open the way for the special autonomous régime they envisage. They have made considerable progress Laving het with little resistance in Hopei and Shansi and are now only about sixty
There is no miles from the Yellow River on Tsinpu front. doubt they have been hoping to win over Han Fu-chu and so get
This presumably seens Shantung without fighting for it. doomed to failure since Han Fu-chu is no longer completely Master of the province but is surrounded by troops from other
provinces.
On reaching the Yellow River Japanese will have to ecide whether (a) to remain on that line and consolidate their gains or (b) to go on as far as line of Lunghai railway and then consolidate or (c) push beyond railway towards lanking.
It
(a) would leave them with only half the province of Shantung without Tsinanfu, Tsintao and Kiaochao railway. is probable therefore that they will decide to force the Yellow River and continue down to Lunghai railway where they will come up against Chinese main defence line.
In fact
there
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