CO129-571-1 Sino-Japanese War- shipping 10-1-1938 - 24-12-1938 — Page 158

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advance!

I was the more surprised, because on September

30th I had spent an hour or two at General Wu Te-chen's

private residence and he told me nothing

K

and 1 am convinced

knew nothing of the intended sudden restriction.

action.

K

7. The news was received too late to take any effective

I telephoned General Wu Te-chen, but he thought

I feel with justification that he could not interfere at

the eleventh hour. I was unable to find by telephone the

Special Delegate for Foreign Affairs, or any military

authority at such confidential numbers as I had collected

against such an emergency at this period hardly any

responsible official slept at his proper residence through

fear of air raids and, as I was unable to get into touch,

-

no consent could be obtained either to a postponement of

restrictions until (say) 9 a.m., or to permission for night

navigation on that particular night. The military authorities claimed "post facto" that they had intended to

grant this permission and had so informed Bocca Tigris

Forts, but they gave no intimation to the Customs or any

one else concerned. It is uncertain whether the Shipping

Companies would have ventured to move their ships, since at

that time it was uncertain whether mines were in position.

On September 18th a British engineer had informed Captain

A.B. Cunninghame Graham, R.N., Senior Naval Officer, West

River, that he had been approached by General Yu Han-mou

to mine the Pearl River and what progress he had made was

unknown.

On this phase of the Shipping blockade I reported

in full in enclosure 2 in my Printed Letter despatch No. 133

of October 4th (to Foreign Office No.57).

8. On the morning of October 1st I received apologies

from General Yu Han-mou through the Mayor as well as the

General's