FO371-46258 — Page 85

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FOREIGN OFFICE, S.W.1.

ino

24th November, 1945.

BLA

(F 9736/1147/10)

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77

Dear Jones-Parry,

Your letter to Wilson-Young X.R.443 of the 5th November, on the subject of Hong Kong's food supply.

This question, like the one you raised some time ago about the supply of ground-nuts etc. for Hong Kong, cannot very well be dealt with satisfactorily from this end. The Hong Kong authorities are presumably already doing all

they can to obtain supplies from Kwangtung province; they are in a position to negotiate, through His Majesty's Consul-General at Canton with the Governor of the province, and a recent telegram from His Majesty's Consul-General indicated that arrangements were being made to barter coal for food supplies.

I think, therefore, that we can safely leave this matter to be dealt with locally. If however the local negotiations run into difficulties which would call for an appeal to Chungking we shall of course be pleased to assist.

I am sending copies of this letter to Lieutenant- Colonel Morgan (C.A.17) and Mayle (Colonial Office).

E.Jones-Parry, Esq., Ministry of Food.

Yours sincerely,

a.c.

(gd) a. L- BLot

fo(G.V.Kitson)

1

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