CO129-619-1 Parliamentary delegation to China 1-9-1947 - 23-12-1947 — Page 69

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Dover House

Whitehall,

3.*.1.

19th September, 1947.

67

Dear Coates,

This is a line in continuation of Mayle's letter to you of the 19th September about your briefing for the Parliamentary Delegation to China.

We have looked at the passage on page 85 headed "Financial Negotiations with Hong kong" and we do not like the sentence "Negotiations on both agreements however have been retarded by internal technical difficulties." We are not quite sure what this is intended to convey, but if the suggestion is that the internal difficulties have come from Hong Kong we would not be prepared to agree. We would suggest the omission of this controversial sentence.

I do not think it is necessary for us to be represented at the final briefing meeting.

Yours sincerely,

P.D. Coates, Esq.,

Foreign Office.

(T.W. Davies)