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.]
TO JAPAN
(F 4619/4/10).
Cypher tele ran to Sir R. Craigie (Tokyo).
Foreign Office.
No. 318.
9th May 1933.
5.45 p.m.
52
14)
Your telegram No., 371 [of 24th March: South China coast].
blockade of
Attitude of His Majesty's Government to Japanese identic note No. 10 (Routing) is that they are prepared to instruct Commander-in-Chief to advise British shipping for navigational reasons (namely, presence of considerable number of Japanese warships) to take route close to Gap Rock Lighthouse. Japanese Government should, however, clearly understand that advice does not impose legal oblication upon British shipping to adopt route specified, that ships following more northerly route (e.g. to Macao or Canton) must not be regarded as suspect by reason of not being on advise route and that issue of advice does not entitle Japanese to interfere with British ships beyond proce- dure already agreed for establishing identification.
His Majesty's Government cannot comply with request in identic note No.11 (Marking) because issue of recommendation (we have no power to do more) tends to weaken need for identi- fication of vessels by Japanese and may therefore lead to serious mistakes particularly as it is perfectly easy for a Chinese ship to copy British markings. His Majesty's Govern- ment concur in objections put forward by Governor of Hongkong in his telegram to Colonial Office No. 74 [of 23rd March] repeated to you as No. 34.
I leave it to your discretion to communicate the above to the Japanese Government at an opportune moment, informing Commodore, Hongkong when you have done so.
Repeated Commander-in-Chief, Hongkong, Embassy Shanghai, No. 409, and Commodore, Hongkong.
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