740.00119 PW/8–1945: Telegram
The Ambassador in China ( Hurley ) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 18—12:45 p.m.]
1396. The Generalissimo has made available to me for your information the following letter sent on August 18 by the British Ambassador to the Chinese Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs on the subject of proposed British action at Hong Kong and Saigon. (ReEmbstel 1370, August 16, 10 a.m. [p.m.] It reads as follows:
“Immediate Top Secret and Personal
My Dear Vice Minister: With reference to our conversation yesterday, I am under instructions from Government to let His Excellency the President know that the instructions in the telegram upon which Mr. Wallinger25 based his memorandum of August 1625a was sent from London before His Majesty’s Government had any knowledge of the general order to which your memorandum of the same date refers.
- 2.
- I am to add that in giving His Excellency the earliest possible advance information of their intentions, His Majesty’s Government were acting in good faith, in accordance with their view that irrespective of operational theatres, wherever the sovereign power has sufficient forces available, it should resume its authority and accept the Japanese surrender in its own territory.
- 3.
- I still await further instructions in this matter and will be communicating with Your Excellency again. Meanwhile I should be grateful if “the above message could be passed to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek.
Believe me, my dear Vice Minister, to be yours sincerely, (signed) H. J. Seymour”