Paris, Oct. 28. URPRISE over Japan's new protest against alleged traffic in arms through Indo-China to the Chinese Nationalist Government, was expressed in authoritative quarters here this evening.
These circles have not yet received confirmation of the conversation between the Japanese Premier, Prince Fumimaro Konoye, and the French Ambassador to Tokyo, M. Arsene Henry.
It was during this talk that the protest was made.
The same quarters point out that France has to date strictly maintained her own, spontaneous decision to ban all transit through Indo-China of arms destined for China. The sole exceptions were made with regard to those shipments ordered prior to the outbreak of hostilities.
These atwhorized circles emphasize that Japan was never able to produce the slightest controllable evidence that any illicit traffic in arms was carried on.
Therefore, they are surprised at the Japanese Government's claiming {he cessation of an activity which is been made impossible through the strict measures taken by the government of Indo-China.—Havas. reaching us, there continued to prevail a situation which by no means agrees with the replies of the French Government.
"As a result of the capture of Canton, which intercepted the connection of the Gen. Chiang Kai-shek regime with Hongkong, the most important of the routes left for transportation of arms to that regime is the one through French Indo-China, and China is reported to be active there.
ur government is therefore gravely concerned over the possible developments in the situation, In view of the above circumstances the Japanese Government instructed Ambassador Sugimura at Paris to file representations."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.