Letters on family matters and also mentioning a private meeting and preparation of a memorandum on bank rate for the Bank of England, dinners with overseas bankers and the Chinese legation, a currency debate at the Tuesday Club and, in very detailed letters from New York, meetings with China Consortium representatives, foreign diplomats and bankers, the progress of negotiations and their successful conclusion. 'The fate of the consortium still hangs in the balance. Whether we shall sign or not I don't know. Failure would be a disaster and the responsibility of saying No which now depends on me, is a heavy burden to bear.' 12 October. From London, Paris and New York,