Letter BATAVIA, 7 December 1937
I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt to-day of your letter of November 26th [1], forwarding questionnaires in regard to Portuguese Timor.
2. I greatly regret that these questionnaires have reached me too late to receive Mr Lambert’s [2] attention on his tour. Owing to unexpected staff changes at this Consulate-General (including the transfer of Mr Lambert to Bangkok in December), it was necessary for this tour to Portuguese Timor to be advanced, and Mr Lambert left here on the 22nd November. He was due to leave Timor on his return journey on the 7th December.
3. While it is thus not possible for him to make local enquiries on the basis of your questionnaires, however, I shall at once submit these to him on his return, and shall send you as soon as possible the most complete answers that can be furnished to your questions.
H. FITZMAURICE
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1 Document 113.
2 U.K. Vice-Consul, Batavia.
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[AA : A981, TIMOR (PORTUGUESE) 22, ii]