CO129-580-2 Sino-Japanese War- British policy and reactions in Hong Kong and Malaya 27-7-1939 - 3-2-1940 — Page 23

2.

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holds that like boldness on our part far from having results

we feared would have spared many unpleasant things we have had

to face.

4. Inasmuch as he has been and is still receiving open-

handed support from Russians he feels deeply in their debt. But

although he is grateful to them he is afraid of a day of reckoning

which he thinks cannot be long delayed. When it comes he will

find it difficult to resist the demand that the price should be

paid. He has no clear idea what would be asked but he thinks it

would probably be sone [grp. undec.] and exclude agreement.

5. He would like therefore to be able to reach [?grp. omtd.]

it is too late to break away from the Russians but he cannot do this until he is sure he can get what he needs from a quarter from which he thinks it ought to come. Meanwhile the vital interests of his country oblige him to go piling up his dangerous debt to Russia. He is haunted by fear that one of these days Russia might possibly join Germany against us in which case he would be forced to make a clear cut choice between the Soviet and ourselves. That is why he is keenly anxious that nothing should happen to worsen our present relations with them but even if Russia remains neutral his problem of piling up of debt becomes more and more acute as each month passes.

бо

He understands that in the present circumstances it would be difficult for Democracies to give him help to the extent to which he is receiving it from Russia but he would like to make a further appeal to them perhaps on the basis that they should make an early beginning with undertaking as time goes on to increase their help until he could dispense with that of Russia.

But he

confesses