No, s/o 610 (9557/1082/47)
CONFIDENTIAL
IC
BRITISH EMBASSY,
NANKING.
30th July, 1947.
(My dear George,)
The following extracts from an exchange of correspondence on a personal and secret basis between MacDougall and myself ought to be in your possession in view of the possibility that the idea therein tentatively discussed may now be submitted to more serious considera- tion (I might add that MacDougall has assured me in reply to my specific enquiry, that he has no objection to my copying to you at my discretion any letters addressed by him to me in this informal and confidential manner):
From MacDougall to Lamb of the 20th May:
"There are one or two things I have been meaning to write to you about but somehow have not con- trived the time to do so until now. First of all about the scheme to attach one of our young men to you for a year or so to gain China knowledge and experience. This has moved on a little and I have now asked the C.0. for permission to begin direct correspondence with you on the subject, No doubt they will say yes in due course but this is a little advance penetration unofficially on my part.
"I think you know how keen I am on getting the thing startad It is evilishly difficult to spare good men for any purpose not directly and (as it were) instantaneously connected with the day- to-day running of the administration: but I would like to try to be quite ruthless over this attachment business even at the cost of let- ting something go momentarily here. One of the best of our younger inen returns from leave in the autumn and I will try everything possible to work it so that he does not get involved in the machine but is reserved for early secondment to Nanking: that is, if you and the C.0. agree
but we will know all about that officially in due course. The chap's name is Robert Minnitt and he has a charming wife and baby whom he will wish to take with him. Does that make it difficult? He is 34 and one of the best two or three in our service. I think you'd like him and I think he'd do well in Nanking.
He
"I'd very much like also to pry someone loose to tuck in under Hall's wing in Canton for six months or so; but I'm afraid we may not be able to manage both things not immediately anyhow. Hall, by the way, continues to be absolutely invaluable: I wish we could present him with the freedom of the city or something, perpetually puts us more deeply intords debti nothing one asks of him is any trouble and he fights a great many of our stickiest battles with Chang Fa vei resolutely and much more successfully than we have any right to expect and never a word of complaint, at least to us.
G. V. Kitson, Esquire, C.B.E.,
Thina Department,
Foreign Office,
London, S.W.1.
/From Lanb
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