CO129-580-2 Sino-Japanese War- British policy and reactions in Hong Kong and Malaya 27-7-1939 - 3-2-1940 — Page 61

#K

53838/48/39.

DRAFT ON 53838/45/39.

SECRET.

34 61

12 September, 1939.

From Straits. 17.8.30.

To ditto. 12.9.39.

From Hong Kong. 14.8.39. Tc ditto. 12.9.39.

Dear Pratt,

I enclose (1) a copy of letters which the

Se retary of State has exchanged with Sir Shenton Thomas,

Governor of the Straits Settlements, (2) a copy of

correspondence which I have had with Sir Geoffry

Northcote,Governor of Hong Kong.

The text of both

Governo s' letters may be said to be taken from the

effect on local Chinese opinion of the announcement of

the decision to hand over the four Tientsin men to the

public authorities for trial.

You may

I don't know whether you can suggest any

particular means of helping the Governors in the sort

of difficulty which they have in mind.

consider it to be useful to show this to R.H. Scott and

you will see that the Secretary of State in his reply

to Sir Shenton Thomas has made the point that the

establishment of the local and Far Eastern publicity

organisations, now actively in hand, should be of the

SIR JOHN PRATT,K.B.E.

greatest