Office of the Historian

893.801/11–549

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Director of the Office of Chinese Affairs (Sprouse)

[Washington,] November 5, 1949.

Mr. Ford showed me this morning a copy of a telegram from the British Foreign Office to the British Consul General at Chungking instructing the latter to inform the Chinese Government as follows: [Page 1160]

1.
Chinese naval vessels and military aircraft would not be permitted to refuel or obtain supplies at Hong Kong and Chinese military aircraft should not fly over Hong Kong and the leased territories.
2.
The Sino-British Convention of 189895 (Kowloon Lease Agreement) did not contemplate that Chinese naval vessels should use the waters of Mirs Bay and Deep Bay to carry on military operations.
3.
The British Government wished to bring the foregoing to the attention of the Chinese Government in order that there should be no misunderstanding.

  1. June 9, 1898: J. V. A. MacMurray, Treaties and Agreements With and Concerning China, 1894–1919, vol. i, p. 130.↩