CO129-571-9 Sino-Japanese War- Canton-Kowloon railway 25-3-1938 - 28-2-1939 — Page 160

CO129 Colonial Office Hong Kong Records 理藩院香港檔案 All

NO.41

(A 3 copies)

sir,

British Consulate-General,

CANTON,

159

21st March, 1938.

Upon receipt of your telegram No.35 of

February 12th, I addressed a letter to the Special

Delegate for Foreign Affairs on March 15th, protesting

against any destruction of the Canton-Kowloon Railway.

A copy of this despatch is enclosed.

2.

This morning I took the opportunity of a call

on General Yu Han-ou to mention this protest. He

attempted to dismiss the matter with the sole remark

that it was a question which concerned the Special Delegate'

office. I explained that, on the contrary, it was a

practical military matter. It was true that I wished

officially, under the terms of a certain Loan Agreement

a diplomatic question - to protest against any damage done

to the Railway and to state that the Chinese Government

would be responsible to the bond holders for any such

damage, but, unofficially I appreciated that in certain

circumstances damage must be done deliberately - a military

question and desired to insure that any damage the

Chinese Military Authorities were obliged to do in the

interests of the defence of Canton would be done

scientifically

His Excellency,

preferably by the engineers of the Canton-

Kowloon Railway themselves -, so as to insure the minimum

Sir Archibald Clark Kerr, K.C.M.G.,

Eta, etc., etc.,

His Majesty's ambassador,

British mbassy,

BHANGHAI.

of

Page 160Page 161

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