CO129-575-15 Traffic of arms to China 24-1-1939 - 4-12-1939 — Page 122

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that the assurances given in Clarke's letter referred

specifically to shipments destined to the Chinese

Government, and observes that licenses are occasionally

applied for to authorize the shipment of small quantities

of small arms and small arms ammunition consigned to the

Shanghai International Settlement municipal police for

its own use and that such shipments are frequently routed

via Hong Kong. It is also stated that shipments of arms

from the United States to Thailand are without exception

transshipped at Singapore.

The State Department has also issued a license

authorizing the exportation of twenty machine guns to

Liberia. The Liberian Government purchased these guns

for its own internal defense under a plan of which the

Foreign Office is informed. Licenses authorizing the

exportation of ammunition for these guns will probably

be applied for in the near future. The Liberian Govern-

ment desires to ship these arms on ships of the American

West African Steamship Line. These vessels are scheduled

to touch at Freetown en route to Monrovia.

The Embassy is now requested to ascertain whether

the Foreign Office is willing to give assurances that

these shipments of arms to Shanghai, Thailand and Liberia

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