CO129-613-6 Arrest of members of the Kwang Tung Provincial Peace Preservation Corps 10-1-1947 - 25-11-1947 — Page 17

Wt. 23364/665, 8/47; 50,000. S. & S. Ltd

54297/1/47

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C. O.

Mr. Mayle

Mr. Daca

7/10/47

24.10.

Mr Gulwin 25/101.

Mr..

Permt. U.S. of S.

Parly. U.S. S.

Mr..

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DRAFT. LETTER.

Secretary of State:

Your Reference......

Deep. 29/10

17

5

29th October 1947.

Imprisonment of Two Members of Kwangtung Provincial Peace Preservation Corps in

Hong Kong.

A.L. SCOTT, ESQ.,

FOREIGN OFFICE.

FURTHER ACTION.

On the 29th September you sent us

under cover of your reference F.10701/376/10

copies of correspondence 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

does not normally attempt to influmes, Secretary of State is not entitled to

heni.

intervener

Nevertheless, I feel that the

such

external issues involved here are so serious

that