CO129-580-1 Sino-Japanese War- handing over of suspected terrorists to Japanese authorities 1-5-1939 - 24-8-1939 — Page 59

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.

82

اعمه

59

To:

JAPAN.

Code telegram to Sir R. Craigie, (Tokyo).

Foreign Office. June 15th, 1939.

No. 292. (R).

IMPORTANT.

6.00.p.m.

-o0o----

The Prime Minister made following statement in the House on

June 15th in answer to a private notice question. Begins:

The Japanese blockade of the British Concession at Tientsin

began at 6.a.m. on June 14th. British subjects and other

foreigners are being detained and searched at the barriers. I

understand that food supplies are being allowed into the Concession

but there would appear to be a tendency for prices to rise.

There has also been interference with British shipping up

and down the river. The British military authorities have taken all precautions possible for the maintenance of order and

H.M.S.'Lowestoft' is moored alongside the Bund of the British

Concession.

His Majesty's Ambassador at Tokyo has made full representation

to the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs and has been instruct-

ed to point out the danger of provocative action by local Japanese which might lead to regrettable incidents. Sir R. Craigie

has further drawn attention to the serious implications of the

statement made by the Japanese military spokesman at Tientsin to the effect that the questions at issue cannot now be settled by the handing over of the accused men, but that the objective of the

blockade is to secure a much wider form of co-operation from the

British authorities in North China. It is clear that if this

statement represents the views of the authorities in Tokyo, the

Japanese..

•