ABSTRACT

This chapter examines the role of the British Consul in Macau, John Reeves, during the tumultuous years of World War II. Following the fall of Hong Kong in December 1941 the tiny Portuguese colony was cut off by Japanese forces. Reeves was one of the last British consular officials operating in the region. For three and a half years, he provided material and moral support to thousands of British subjects and was an important symbol of continued British presence in the region. During this time he faced considerable hardship, the threat of assassination, political uncertainty and isolation. Drawing on Reeves’s published memoir and Foreign Office files, the chapter examines how the ‘man on the ground’ dealt with events during this crisis. It examines the Consul’s humanitarian relief work, his relations with the Foreign Office and Portuguese authorities, and his intelligence activities (an aspect only indirectly alluded to in Reeves’s memoir). It also highlights the role of the Consular Service and the crucial, if underrated, work of smaller posts in the diplomatic network.