CO129-579-8 Sino-Japanese War- shipping on Pearl River 23-6-1939 - 4-1-1940 — Page 5

5

64 70

£8168/79/10

88.39

Trs. of. tel. 37 of 27.7.39. from Carton re closure of Pearl River by Japanese.

65 Fo.

Jes

7.8504/79/10

8839

of tal 39 90.8.59 from Canton se closure of Pearl River by Japanese.

66 For. Dient

666

24.7.39

(Enels. coses memo. If a Ampy. local working angl. rating to navigation of heart liver aquid to

by both sides)

Earlier this year, as a result of

negotiations between the British and Japanese

authorities in Hong Kong and Canton, an agreement

was reached regulating the sailings of British

passenger steamers and Japanese Government

chartered vessels on the Pearl River between

Canton and Hong Kong. The history and provisions

of this agreement are summarised in my minute of

18/3/39 below 39 on Part I of this file.

There

was subsequently a minor alteration to this agreement as reported in the Canton despatch at 47 on that

file.

In June, however, as a result of the

refusal of the British authorities to consider

the application made by the Japanese on behalf of the "Shirogane Maru" (see 52 on Part 1), the

Japanese declared that they considered the agreement

at an end.

Finally, at the end of July and

beginning