893.24/483: Telegram
The Consul General at Hong Kong (Southard) to the Secretary of State
[Received 2:15 p.m.]
61. The French Consul at Hong Kong has notified shipping companies verbally that the transit of “war materials” through Kwangchowwan and Haiphong is suspended. This prohibition includes motor trucks, presumably only those for military use, but the instructions received by my French colleague are not clear on that point and he has written requesting clarification thereof. He has informed the local representative of General Motors that motorcars would be allowed to pass through these two ports but presumably only when they are not destined to the Chinese Government. A shipment of 12 American motor trucks from Hong Kong to Kwangchowwan consigned to the Highway Bureau of Szechwan Province was not allowed to land by the French authorities and has returned to this port.
The opinion has been expressed in some quarters that the French will be very strict regarding the movement of war materials including trucks through Kwangchowwan but to a lesser degree at Haiphong since at the latter port there is a 4% ad valorem transit tax which is not collected at Kwangchowwan.
The port of Pakhoi could be used but at present only two lighters are available there and the Japanese would not long tolerate the shipment of any kind of war materials through the port of Pakhoi.
Repeated to Peiping, sent by mail to Saigon, Chungking, Yunnanfu.