CO129-570-11 Sino-Japanese War- Japanese attack on Chinese Maritime Customs cruiser- CHAHSING 19-1-1938 - 23-3-1938 — Page 16

JAPEHAND.

BRITISH EMBASSY,

16

XXXXXX

No. ¡l (26/47.7/1938, Copied to:

Tokyo No. 3 Hongkong 2

SHANGHAI, 13th January, 1938

v^

103

300 30

sir,

From Mr. Forbes to I-0. of Customs dated 6/1/1938.

Draft reply to ar. Forbea

with reference to my telegram No. 775 of the

24th December last, on the subject of the operation of

Chinese preventive cruisers in Hongkong waters, I have

the honour to report that the reventive Secretary of

the Chinese karitime Customs showed me today a letter

from the Customs Commissioner, Kowloon, to the Inspector-

General of Customs, copies of which are enclosed.

ar. iritchard communicated to me at the same

time the draft of a letter, copies of which are also

enclosed, which sir Frederick Maze proposed to addreas

to mr. Forbes in reply, and enquired whether I saw any

objection to its termE . lie pointed out that the Customs

Administration feared that if their cruisers continued

to operate in hongkong waters, they might lay themselves

open to reprisals from the Japanese elsewhere apart from

the risk of embroiling the Colony with the Japanese

authorities.

I informed år. .ritchard that I saw no

objection to the sending of Sir Frederick Maze's letter

as drafted; as it was obvious that there were other

considerations of importance to the Customs which did

The Right Honourable

Anthony Eden, M.C., k.i.,

etc.,

etc.,

etc.,

POREIGN OFFICE.

/ not