CO129-585-3 Sino-Japanese conflict- shipping 17-1-1940 - 13-11-1940 — Page 14

SAFE H ND

14

No. 48 (28/90AB/1940)

pies sent to: Tokyo No.283

Foreign Office No.434 Commander-in-Chief No.27 Diplomatic Mission No.396 Swatow No. 18 Canton No. 46.

Letter from dr. K Okazaki to Mr. Blunt. of 11.7.1939.

Letter to г. K.

Ukazaki from Mr. Blunt of 14.7.40.

sir,

BRITISH EMBASSY,

SHANGHAI.

31st May, 1940.

I have the honour to refer to despatches

Nos. 23 and 28 of the 31st March and 18th April

addressed to me by His Majesty's Consul at Swatow

(and sent direct to Hongkong as Swatow despatches

Nos. 13 and 18 to the Colonial Secretary respect-

ively) on the subject of the restrictions im osed

on British shipping at that port.

2.

It will be observed that in reply to

his representations Mr. Hall has been informed

by his Japanese colleague that there is no

immediate prospect of the reopening of the port

to trade and that the present position is governed

by an "agreement" concluded in C nton on the 11th

:

July 1939 whereby restrictions are imposed on

British steamers entering &watow similar to those

regulating the entry of Japanese transports

into Hongkong.

Copies of the documents which

Mr. Takai has in mind are enclosed herein. It

The position is rather

will be seen that they do not in fact constituts

an agreement in any sense.

as follows.

N.L. Smith,

squire,

Office Administering the Government,

HONGKONG.

/3.