CO129-571-7 Sino-Japanese War- bombardment of road from Anglo-Chinese border to Canton 9-1-1938 - 28-1-1938 — Page 13

Copy.

From CHINA.

Decypher. Mr. MacKillop, (Hankow).

No.101.

HR Canton

13

3rd February, 1938.

D. (Wireless)

3rd February, 1938.

R. 7.30 p.m.

3rd February, 1938.

Addressed to Embassy 3hanghai telegram No. 112 of

February 3rd.

My telegram No.104.

Two important elements in situation are(1) reluctance

of provincial authorities to permit National Government to

function as a centralised controlling force.

This applies

here and also in Szechuen. Government in no sense controls or co-ordinates activities in individual remaining provinces but rather exists as a body extraneous to them. (2) Danger of purely military Government being formed as a consequence of (1). If this organisation on military as opposed to civil basis can be a little more effectively

centralised and co-ordinated.

But the centrifugal tendency

has to be reckoned with here as well.

}

National Government as a civilian authority is in my opinion already non-existent. Dr. Kung is obliged to try to do practically every thing except in purely military matters. His civilian colleagues might in the main just as well not be here. Activities of some of them necessarily confined to theories and publicity, are indeed actually prejudiced because of effect on credit. Dr. Kung is working hard and is doing

very mucu better than might be expccted but the situation cannot continue, having regard especially to series of shocki he is receiving about finance, customs, supply of material, prospects of foreign assistance, and so on.

In the present confusion only two of them seem quite

excluded.

If there is reconstruction in these or other new

surroundings