CO129-571-1 Sino-Japanese War- shipping 10-1-1938 - 24-12-1938 — Page 49

Copy

SECRET TELEGRAM-

From..

Tokyo

Folio No.

To..

$

Foreign Office 365 (R) Hong Kong 55

(Copy to C. in c.74) Saving Shanghai

Date..

24th March, 1938.

49

System.

Cable

Code or Cypher

G.T.

My telegram 351.

French Ambassador in interim reply to Minister

for Foreign Affairs identic note 10 promises to inform his Government but adds that any notification which might be issued to French shipping could not be an order and failure to follow suggested route could not be imputed to a French ship as justifying any mistake made by Japanese Navy. the other hand should French shipping choose to comply such compliance would not affect their right to navigate wherever they wished.

On

SECRET TELEGRAM.

TO....

.Foreign Office 371

Folio No.

1

(R) C. in C. 77

Hong Kong Sir Clark Kerr.

System

W/T

From Tokyo.

Date

24th March, 1938.

Code or Cypher.

"K"

paragraph 1.

Commander-in-Chief's telegram 791 to Admiralty,

Whether we comply, or not I consider that we should fully reserve the right of British shipping to follow whatever route they please.

I suggest we might follow analogous arrangement made on land with regard to British lives and property (see my telegram 219) and while informing British shipping of Japanese request make it clear to Japanese Government that we do not consider non-compliance by British ships as justifying interference with them (see my telegram 365 for French attitude).

CRAIGIE.

This matter is still outstanding.

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