CO129-580-2 Sino-Japanese War- British policy and reactions in Hong Kong and Malaya 27-7-1939 - 3-2-1940 — Page 80

3.

88

I must add that I have been frankly disappointed

on receiving the aide memoire

communicated by

Vice Minister on the 5th instant. I had no objections

to raise to the first paragraph although I felt we had already gone a very long way to meet Japanese Government after formula of June 22nd. Paragraph 2 however seened to me to contain dangerous implication and, if he would forgive my frankness, it had conveyed to me impression that Japanese wished to take advantage of our temporary difficulties in Europe in order to put forward proposals which he must know would seem to us to be unjustifiable. General Abe replied that he greatly regretted to learn that aide memoire should have made such an impression on me and hoped that I would at once reassure my Government on this point, Speaking with emphasis the Prime Minister stated that Japanese Government had no intention whatever of taking unfair advantage of our difficulties elsewhere. They were however definitely apprehensive lest, in this moment of s train and tension incidents might occur in China which would prejudice Japan's relations with either one side or the other. Japan wished to remain neutral in conflict in Europe; but she herself was engaged in a serious con- flict in China and she felt justified in asking the same attitude of impartiality from foreign powers in relation to the China affair in order to diminish possibilities of complication. The proposal for with- drawal of troops and ships had been put forward as one way of avoiding incidents which might lead to

complications /

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