Tuesday, 2 March
Twenty-sixth day of the first lunar month
The British Embassy, Counsellor Mr. H.L. Baggalay visited me. He said as follows:
- l) He would be transferred to Chongqing to replace Sir Eric Teichman. Before he went to take up the new post he would go back to England first, but asked me to keep it secret for the time being.
2) The Turkestan-Siberia route transportation has not yet started. This was not because the Indian-Iranian road was not yet well prepared. It was because the United States was unable to deliver the required transportation lorries running between the Alma-Ata and Hami sections to the Soviet Union in a timely manner. These cars should have been delivered from the United States to India last November, but for various reasons the United States Government was unable to do so. So the Soviet Union Government claimed that even though the Chinese materials have been transported to Alma-Ata, there remained no way to go any further. In this case in order to solve the problem the lorries from the United States should be delivered as soon as possible. He reckoned that it would take another 3 months before they were able to go through. He also said that on the Soviet Union side, they were amenable towards this matter and would not deliberately complicate it
3) If Germany did not have enough strength to make a big attack this June, the embassies could move back to Moscow.
4) The unfortunate incident between the Soviet Union and Poland has put the British Government into a very difficult position to act a go-between.
He was quite good and very peaceful. It is appropriate to use him to replace Teichman. I also heard that he is a good friend of Ambassador Seymour. This is particularly good. Sent a telegram to Deputy Minister Wu.