§ Mr. Whitakerasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what information he has concerning Mr. Gordon, a British subject, and his family in China.
§ Mr. FoleyOn 1st February Mr. Gordon's relatives in England informed us that the family had been due to leave China in early November but that no news of them had been received since then. On 3rd February the British Mission in Peking were instructed to ask the Chinese authorities for assistance in discovering the family's whereabouts; this request has since been repeated at frequent intervals but no reply has been received. As enquiries in Hong Kong and elsewhere have revealed no trace of the family, we are obliged to conclude that they have been detained in China. The British Charge d'Affaires in Peking will continue his efforts to obtain information from the Chinese authorities.