CO129-580-2 Sino-Japanese War- British policy and reactions in Hong Kong and Malaya 27-7-1939 - 3-2-1940 — Page 22

From: CHINA.

SPECIAL DISTRIBUTION AND WAR CABINET

Decypher.

Sir Clark Kerr (Hongkong).

12th November, 1939.

D. 4.47 P.12.

12th November, 1939.

R. 12.05 p.m.

12th November, 1939.

No. 98. Tour.

22

IMPORTANT.

Secret.

My immediately preceding telegram.

In asking these questions Chiang Kai-shek was I think himself groping sympathy for a policy [?which] finds him in a difficult position in view of possible regrouping of international forces and more especially of uncertainties of Soviet policy,

2. About Russia I could not persuade him fully to declare himself and it was clear that his mind is turning on following

line:

3. His own inclinations and those of the large majority of

He thinks that the Chinese lean heavily towards democracies.

It has been

China should as it were belong to the democratic club. his policy to cling to democracies and he claims not without justice that for over two years he has been fighting their battle. He is afraid of the Russians and he mistrusts them but China is fighting for her life and he is bound to put in the balance what he has got and is getting from democracies on one side and from Russia on the other. From one he has got boundless sympathy and some slight material help and from the other most generous assistance given so far without conditions.

He [grp. ontd.?

difficulties which beset democracies but he feels that they have been over-cautious and niggardly while the Russians have gone about their part of the business boldly and without stint.

He

holds