CO129-613-6 Arrest of members of the Kwang Tung Provincial Peace Preservation Corps 10-1-1947 - 25-11-1947 — Page 15

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54297/1/47

Dear Scott,

Colonial Office, Church House,

Great Smith Street,

S.W.1.

29th October, 1947.

Ans'd. (6)

Imprisonment of Two Members of Kwangtung

Provincial Peace Preservation Corps Hong Kong

On the 29th September you sent us under cover of your reference F.10701/376/10 copies of corres- pondence from Nanking including a copy of a letter which Lamb sent to MacDougall, in which he suggested that the unserved part of the sentences of these men might be remitted by Sir Alexander Grantham on assuming charge of the administration as an act of clemency and in token of goodwill.

While fully appreciating all the difficulties in Nanking, I must confess that I was shocked and alarmed to see that this suggestion had been made in the circumstances described in Lamb's letter, and in particular after Vice-Minister George Yeh had made this the subject of a hysterical outburst which Lamb himself describes as, in fact, tantamount to blackmail tactics.

The exercise of the prerogative of mercy rests with the Governor, and the Secretary of State does not normally attempt to influence him. Nevertheless, I feel that the issues involved here are such that we ought to put our views in the matter to the Governor privately and ask him what action, if any, was taken on this suggestion.

A. L. SCOTT, ESQ.

I would