FO371-23523 — Page 287

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BRITISH EMBASSY PEKING.

21st July 1939

£34

Sir and dear Colleague,

On 19th July reports were current in Peking

of the holding the previous evening of a mass meeting

of Japanese residents, during the course of which

anti-British addresses were made. This meeting was

said to have taken place on the glacis to the south-

west of the junction of the Chang An Chieh and Hatamen

Street, near the Tung Tan P'ai Lou.

2.

This report was reproduced in greater

detail in the press on 20th July in the statement

attributed to the Domei News Agency, which is quoted

herebelow for convenience of reference:-

"PEKING JAPANESE OPEN AIR RAL Y ATTACKS BRITAIN.

A public lecture meeting sponsored by the

local Japanese Residents' Corporation and the

Ex-Servicemen's Association and held at the Tung

Tan Pai Lou glacis at 7.30 o'clock on Tuesday

evening as part of the programme for the current

Spiritual Mobilisation campaign suddenly bore

a different character following a speech delivered

by a Japanese army officer, analysing Japan's

effort in constructing a new order in East Asia,

vehemently attacked Britain's Far Eastern policy.

Three thousand excited Japanese audience

forthwith motioned that the meeting be changed

into a "third Anti-British Meeting".

After a number of volunteer orators took

the rostrum one after another, each denouncing

Britain, the rally closed with the adoption of

Mr. T. Horiuchi,

/ a

Japanese Embassy,

PEKING.

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