CO129-571-1 Sino-Japanese War- shipping 10-1-1938 - 24-12-1938 — Page 35

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FOREIGN OFFICE,

8.#.1.

27th October, 1938.

sir,

with reference to Tokyo telegram No.1195 of

14th October on the subject of the boarding of 8.8.

"City of Oran", I am directed by Viscount Halifax to

transmit for the information of the Lords Commissioners

肇

of the Admiralty, a copy of a further telegram from His

Majesty's Ambassador at Tokyo stating that the ship was

boarded for reasons of security in connexion with the

Japanese landing in Blas Bay.

2. It appears however from the message from His

xcellency the Commander-in-Chief, China Station, to His

Majesty's Ambassador at Tokyo of 16th Cetober, that the

action of the Japanese boarding officer in calling for the

production of the ship's papers other than the certificate

of registry clearly went beyond what has previously been

made clear to the Japanese authorities as permissible

(see in this connexion Foreign Office telegram to Tokyo

No.416 of 21st October, 1987).

3.

Lord Halifax would accordingly propose, subject

to the concurrence of Their Lordships, to instruct His

Majesty's Ambassador at Tokyo to register a protest with

the Japanese authorities and again to make clear to them

that /

The Secretary

of the Admiralty.