CO129-570-11 Sino-Japanese War- Japanese attack on Chinese Maritime Customs cruiser- CHAHSING 19-1-1938 - 23-3-1938 — Page 18

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STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL

18

office of C.M.Customs for Kowloon & Dist.

HONGKONG, 6th January, 1938.

Dear Sir Frederick,

Government.

In an interview with the Governor of Hongkong this morning

he enquired what our preventive vessels were doing, to which I

replied that they were laid up for the time-being and had ceased

to function. He then remarked that it seemed to him a pity that

such action had been taken and enquired who was responsible for

issuing such orders. I told him that it was possible that one

of the main reasons was to avoid the possibility of further

incidents such as had occurred in the case of the "Chahsing",

which we considered might have proved embarrassing to the Colonia:

To this he replied that it might be more embarrass-

ing for his Government that we had ceased to carry on our normal

activities as such action on our part might give the impression

that the Hongkong Government had used its influence in this

direction in deference to the wishes of the Japanese.

some might hold the opinion that the use of Hongkong's waters by

our vessels a course of action of a provocative nature in view

of the present hostilities in neighbouring waters, this was not

his opinion and he considered that it would be an unfriendly act

to deprive our vessels at this juncture of a privilege which

they had always enjoyed. He thought that the voluntary abandon-

ment of a right to use Hongkong waters might possibly prove a

source of embarrassment to us at some later period.

It was

evident that the Governor of Hongkong would be glad to see our

vessels moving about in Hongkong waters as in former times.

Although

In regard to the "Chahsing" incident he said that there

/ had

Sir Frederick Maze, K.B.E.,

etc.,

etc.,

SHANGHAI.

etc.,