NOTHING
TO
BE
WRITTEN
IN
THIS MARGIN.
Registry
No. F 1979/78/10
1
Sir.
FOREIGN OFFICE. S.W.1.
March,
1941.
25
Draft.
The Secretary,
John Swire and Sons
Limited.
With reference to your letter of 25th
February on the subject of the shipping situation
at Canton, I am directed by Mr.Winston Churchill
to inform you that for various reasons, and in
particular so long as the Anglo-Japanese
Commercial Treaty of 1911 remains in force, the
closure of the port of Hong Kong to Japanese
shipping generally is not Hesirable.
His
Majesty's Consul-General at Canton has however
now arranged with his Japanese colleague a
suspension of mutual consent of the Blunt-
Ckasaki agreement as from 1st March, and it
was also agreed that sailings on both sides
should be suspended without prejudice until that
date.
Subsequently a member of the Japanese
Consulate-General called on Mr. Blunt on 19th
March and said that while the Japanese authorities
would agree to "Buspension" of the agreement this
would in practice mean "cancellation" and local
feeling would be much aggravated. After
discussion, it was agreed as an alternative to
suspension to put up the following solution to
both sides for consideration (a) the Japanese
authorities would give a written assurance that
there would be no interference with the "Patshan"
or other British vessel sailing under the Blunt-
Ckasaki agreement in connexion with the supply
of
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