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4.
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Richard returned to Hong Kong on the 31st
December, 1937, and told the police that he was
detained in the military prison in Canton, and brought
before a military court three times, when he was
questioned on a charge of supplying provisions to
Japanese warships. He was remanded until the 30th
December when he was handed over to the Consul-General.
5. The Consul-General impounded his passport
and subsequently sent it to this Government with the
request that steps be taken to prevent Richard's return
to China. It was decided that under the prevailing
conditions, it was highly undesirable for Richard to
be granted general passport facilities and his British
Passport was accordingly detained and cancelled.
6.
On the 25th July Richard applied for a
passport to enable him to travel to Fort Bayard in
the French Settlement of Kwang Chou Wan, stating that
he wished to take a holiday and at the same time
transact some business with a friend there, but in
view of his past activities and the recent Franco-
Japanese tension, it has been provisionally refused.
7.
In the absence of other instructions regarding
the power of this Government to refuse passports to
British subjects, I feel bound to follow in this case
Chapter XXVI of the General Instructions issued by
the Foreign Office to Consular Officers on which the
procedure for the issue of passports in Hong Kong
is based, and have in accordance with the twenty-fifth
paragraph of that Chapter to recommend for your
approval, that, in view of Richard's activities in
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