CO129-580-1 Sino-Japanese War- handing over of suspected terrorists to Japanese authorities 1-5-1939 - 24-8-1939 — Page 76

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

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

From

JAPAN.

Decode.

Sir R. Craigie (Tokyo),

14th June, 1939.

D.

8.50 p.m.

14th June, 1939.

R.

5.00 p.m.

14th June, 1959.

No. 557.

(R).

20

76

62,

Your telegram No. 53 to Tientsin.

I called on Minister for Foreign Affairs this afternoon and took strong exception to the statement issued by the Japanese military authorities in North China, of which the substance has doubtless been telegraphed to you direct. Apart from the aggressive tone and the many mis-statements of fact, the manifesto indicated the intention that forcible measures would continue against the concession even if the four men were to be handed over. I hoped that such reprehensible methods of negotiation

would be avoided.

Minister for Foreign Affairs replied if four men were handed over, the situation would be greatly eased, but that the various questions mentioned in the penultimate paragraph of the manifesto

He (see my telegram No. 559) would also have to be settled. seemed to concur in my remark that it would be impossible to give adequate consideration to these questions under threat of force which the present measures of Japanese military authorities implied.

Turning to the proposal for appointment of an International Committee to consider the evidence, Minister for Foreign Affairs said that it was impossible for the Japanese Government to accept any proposal involving outside interference as they considered

the