1932 - Brig. Gen. M.A. "Two-Gun" Cohen, a brigade commander in the Chinese 19th Route Army, in New York on a mission for the Chinese government.jpg

Extracts from a U.S. Immigration Document titled:

“List or Manifest of Alien Passengers for the United States”

S.S. President Coolidge. Passengers sailing from Hong Kong, 27 Sept. 1932.

Name in Full – Cohen, Morris Abraham

Head Tax Status – Government Official

Calling or Occupation – Army Officer, Government Official

Nationality – England

Place of Birth – London, England

Passport Visa – Government Official. NQIV #27, 3(1)

Issued – Canton, 21 Sept, 1932

Last Permanent Residence – Canton, China

London, late 1932 – “General Maurice A. Cohen of the Chinese Army is a clean-shaven, strongly built man, of early middle age, in immaculately tailored clothes, very pleasant indeed to talk to, he seems a typical North American businessman – an impression that is heightened by his North American accent gained from his domicile since boyhood in Canada. Open-air life in China has given his complexion a healthy tan. His manner is pleasant and he very kindly gave me some details of his life and work when I saw him at the home of his parents in Manchester. Although born in London, he lived for the greater part of his life in Canada before going to China at the invitation of Dr Sun Yat Sen. He came into contact first with the Chinese in Canada, and became the Foreign Secretary there of the Chinese Nationalist League (Dr Sun’s representative organisation in Canada). Always an active man, the outbreak of the War in 1914 gave him an opportunity to develop his military knowledge and he raised a battalion of Chinese, 850 strong, in Edmonton, Alberta. Mr. Cohen himself then enlisted in the Canadian Army and served in France during the War. ‘After my demobilization,’ he said ‘I proceeded to China at the request of Dr Sun Yat Sen, first President and Father of the Chinese Republic, and became his aide-de-camp. I remained in that capacity until he died, and have since held various appointments. For some time I was liaison officer between the Canton Government and all foreign Consuls-General, and was connected with the Central Bank of China which was the Government depository. At the present time I am the Military Counsellor to the Cantonese forces. I am a fully commissioned General of the Chinese Army, appointed by previous and the present governments. At the same time I have acted in a business capacity on behalf of the Chinese Government and have placed several million dollars’ worth of business for them with Great Britain during the past few years. Now I am in England I am in contact with several British firms with whom I have done business for China previously, and I shall probably make one or two calls to explain the prospects of business in the Orient. I am staying in Europe for a couple of months’. Speaking of his nationality the General said he still retained his British nationality, and travelled on a British passport.”

Extracts from the Manchester press selected by Michael Alderton (essarem):

Manchester, November 1932 – Manchester Trade With China. Opportunities Most Favourable. Gen. M. Cohen’s Speech to Businessmen. General Maurice Abraham Cohen is at present on a European visit in the interest of trade and good relations between Europe and China. General Maurice Cohen has for some years exerted considerable military and political influence in China, where he has fought with the National forces. He enjoys the confidence and friendship of Sun Fo, the present Nationalist leader. “I will make contact with a few British firms with a view to developing trade between this country and China. China is just entering upon another stage of her evolution as a modern State – the age of machinery,” said General Cohen. “I believe that there will be huge demands for machinery and other goods, which British manufacturers can supply.” Mr. Nathan Laski gave a luncheon to enable a number of leading Manchester businessmen to meet General Maurice Abraham Cohen while on his European mission. Much of interest and information, and not a little of romance and adventure, emerged in the course of an hour’s rapid talk, in which he replied to penetrating questions addressed to him by merchants keenly concerned in economic and political conditions in the Far East. The possibilities of a stabilised currency and of stabilised civil government were discussed. General Cohen will continue his trade mission in London and Paris, and will go on to Geneva to meet up with the Chinese Government’s representatives attending the international assemblies there.

See also: 1932 - Gen. M.A. Cohen interviewed in Manchester after leaving Hong Kong’s Peninsula Hotel for a 3 month-long trip to the U.S.A., the U.K., and Europe..jpg | Gwulo: Old Hong Kong