CO129-571-1 Sino-Japanese War- shipping 10-1-1938 - 24-12-1938 — Page 163

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course of conversation I had told General Yu that, while

the Hong Kong Government hitherto had permitted passage of

war materials through their territory - unlike (at that

time, as he knew), the Government of Indo-China-, and while

I had strongly supported the project of a road connecting

Canton and Hong Kong, should he impose unreasonable

restrictions on Hong Kong cargo with which the wharves

there were overcrowded, the Hong Kong Government might

conceivably change their attitude also.

12. The following morning (November 2nd) the Commissioner

of Customs informed me that he had just received the revised regulations (of which a copy is enclosed). Apparently

General Yu had deliberately broken his promise to me.

At my request kr. Little promised to postpone issue until

the afternoon, and, in the interval, on his strong

representations, as well as mine, permission was obtained

to postpone issue at any rate until Monday, November 8th

and I was led to believe that issue would be postponed

indefinitely. On November 3rd I went to Hong Kong, and

on November 4th, through the courtesy of His Excellency the

Governor (Sir Geoffry Northcote) and the Commodore (Captain

E.B.C. Dicken, O.B.E., D.S.C.) I had conferences (a) with

the Colonial Government and (b) with Naval experts and the

Shipping Companies. The outcome of (a) were Hong Kong

telegrams Nos. 268 to the Colonial Office and 53 to Nanking

(repeated to Peking telegram No. 15) of November 4th. The

first telegram requested sanction to permit me to use the

question of road connexion with Canton as pressure, should

the Military authorities impose restrictions; the latter

telegram enbodied my request to Your Excellency to ask the

intervention of the Generalissimo.

13. At the meeting with the Shipping Companies, I

explained