FO371-41657 — Page 45

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5.

He mentioned that a Mr. P.M. Woo who had a very well equipped modern chemicals factory near the Kai Tak aerodrome had approached him in Chungking with a proposal that I.C. I. should now acquire a fifty per cent interest in this concern. Mr. Farmer said that he knew the factory very well; that it was extremely efficiently run and that there was no obvious reason why the Chinese owners should go out of their way to offer I.C.I. a share in it He felt that the real reason was that, if a British concern like I.C.I. does acquire an interest in it, there will be a greater British concern in its rehabilitation. (This, incidentally, is a pointer that Mr. Woo who is now the Chinese equivalent of the Chairman of the F.B.I. expects us to return to and stay in Hong Kong).

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6.

Mr. Farmer told me that, at the time of the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong, Mr. Woo was in America, Mrs. Woo being in H.K. looking after the family business. On their arrival, the Japanese sealed up all the elaborate machinery and closed down the factory pending arrangements for its being run under Japanese management. Mrs. Foo remained in the factory disguised as a Chinese work-woman and, with the aid of a number of loyal employees, spent several weeks in removing the seals and extracting vital parts of the machinery parts of the ground. After this, they replaced the

which they buried in various Japanese seals. The things which they were particu- larly successful in removing were many irreplaceable stainless steel parts together with a large number of platinum plates which were used in some catalytic

process.

7.

In due course it became known that the Japanese were thinking of re-opening the factory, whereupon Mrs. Woo succeeded in escaping. She took with her to Chungking several tons of stainless steel machinery and all the platinum plates which she had secreted, and these have been incorporated into their factory at Chungking.

8.

When the Japanese tried to get the factory working with the aid of experts from Japan, they were apparently completely foxed by the removal of this machinery and they

have

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