CO129-580-1 Sino-Japanese War- handing over of suspected terrorists to Japanese authorities 1-5-1939 - 24-8-1939 — Page 142

(F 5053/188/10)

1O DIS RIBUTION.

Cypher telegram to Sir A. Clark Ferr (Shanghai),

Foreign Office, 30th May, 198s,

No. 409.

7.45 D.m.

215

142

IMPORTANT.

8

16

6f

fientsin telegram to you To. 257 to Foreign Office No. 188

26th may political offenders in Tientsin concession].

The legal issues raised by His majesty's consul-General will

be considered in due course but in present circumstances the

problem cannot be dealt with on a purely legal basis and our action in orth China must to a great extent be governed by

political and moral considerations.

9/

Since my telegram unnumbered of ay 22nd was despatched I

have learned from Tientsin telegram of may 30th that two of the four men accused of complicity in the assassination of Cheng

were found in cossession of bombs, If that is so I consider such

evidence sufficient to justify their surrender to de facto

authorities. This is in accordance with your own view as

emressed in your telegren No. 18 Tour [of hay 1st].

As the situation is apparently urgent, the Consul-General should, I think, now inform the Japanese cuthorities that the above two men will be handed over. As regards the other two I have no evidence of their complicity in a crine of violence sufficient to justify their surrender and they should continue to be interned for a time to allow of the production of such evidence failing which they will be expelled from the concession.

He should tell the Japanese that the other ending cases and all future cases will be dealt with on the lines indicated in

9 my unnumbered telegram of May 22nd.

Unless you see serious objection please instruct the

Consul-General accordingly.

Repeated to Tientsin No. 1 end Tokyo No. 250.