CO129-580-1 Sino-Japanese War- handing over of suspected terrorists to Japanese authorities 1-5-1939 - 24-8-1939 — Page 158

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This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government, and should be returned

to the Foreign Office if not required for official use.]

158

From CHINA.

Decypher.

Sir R. Craigie, (Tokyo).

11th May, 1939.

D.

4.45 p.m.

11th May, 1939.

R.

12.45 p.m.

11th May, 1939.

No. 414.

0:0:0:0:0:0

IMPORTANT.

Tientsin telegram No. 13 to Chungking.

I appreciate the delicacy of this problem in relation to Chinese Government but, in view of its potentiality, I feel that I should put

the situation as viewed from here.

2. Forcible measures by the Japanese military against the Concession cannot be excluded as long as there is prima facie evidence that it is being utilised by Chinese as a base for organising terrorism

Of late there has been against the Japanese and their puppets. propaganda talk here of military action against Shanghai Settlement and Tientsin Concession "for the purpose of ensuring their return to China". There is also a sudden [? proposal] for reform of settle- ment constitution (my telegram No. 385) which probably portends some mischief. In the preparation for impending struggle I should like to feel that our position on terrorist issue is unassailable.

3. In the present delicate balance of opinion here on the question of alliance with Germany, I suggest that we should be doing [? good] if we can prevent a terrorist problem coming to a head at

this juncture.

4. While I have tried to see matters also from Chinese point of view as far as possible, [gp. undec.] feelings that official Chinese acquiescence in the use of the Concession (where many Chinese obtain benefit of our protection) [gp. undec]s of terrorism must sooner or later embroil us with Japan and is probably so designed by Chinese Government.

5.