Michael Alderton (essarem) notes: The above 9 Feb 1933 image shows a smiling General Morris “Two Gun” Cohen at Southampton, preparing to board the luxury liner s.s. Manhattan bound for New York. From New York he travelled overland to San Francisco, and thence onward to Shanghai onboard the President McKinley. From Shanghai he travelled down the coast to Hong Kong onboard the s.s. President Jefferson, arriving there on April 8th.
What follows is a selection of edited extracts taken from: 2020 – Maj.Gen. M.A. ‘Two-Gun’ Cohen – a 496 page life chronology..jpg | Gwulo, which serve to provide some insights into the trips that General Cohen made in and out of Hong Kong during the twelve months between April 1933 and April 1934:
1933
Feb 9, 1933 - Passenger lists leaving U.K. Passage from Southampton to New York of Morris Cohen, Chinese Govt. Official, on board United States Lines liner, Manhattan, departing Southampton on 9 Feb 1933.
Names and Descriptions of British Passengers: Name – Morris Cohen. Occupation – Chinese Govt. Official. Last Address in the U.K. – Mayfair Hotel, W.1. Class – Cabin. Country of last Permanent Residence – Foreign Countries. Country of Intended Future Permanent Residence - China
Feb 9, 1933. London. Passengers: Morris Cohen, Chinese Govt. Official, on board United States Line liner, Manhattan, departing Southampton 9 Feb 1933 bound for New York.
Feb 13, 1933. Hong Kong. General Cohen on Manchuria. Oil Resources Coveted by Japan. General Maurice A. Cohen, military organiser in the Cantonese forces, acting as liaison officer between the Southern Government and foreign powers, paid another visit to his parents in Manchester after a journey to Paris and Geneva, and in a brief interview with a representative of the Manchester Guardian discussed the present situation in Manchuria. “My personal belief is that Japan wants Manchuria for its natural resources, especially its oil, because if Japan were to go to war with a first-class Power that is one commodity for which she would have to depend upon outside sources. I believe the militarists in Japan made up their minds to secure Manchuria for that sole purpose. And this is the common belief in China.”
Feb 14, 1933, Glasgow. General Maurice Abraham Cohen, fearless Commander of the Chinese National Armies, and financial wizard, had recently returned home as a devoted son to the modest home of his parents in Manchester, says the Scottish Daily Express. Forty years ago he was a poor boy playing in the streets of the East End of London. Today he returns to Britain as the envoy of the Chinese Republic to pledge Chinese credit and further her foreign trade. His dazzling career has been packed tight with adventures. He has fought many battles and negotiated financial agreements which decided the fate of millions of Chinese.
Feb 16, 1933. New York. Listed in Today’s Arrivals on Manhattan Coming In From Europe – Gen. Morris A. Cohen.
Mar 31, 1933 – The Shanghai Municipal Police report that ‘General’ Maurice A. Cohen, Canadian, arrived in Shanghai from San Francisco in the President McKinley on March 31, 1933. He is mentioned in the Prominent Passengers List as “returning to Shanghai after a visit to London and the United States.”
Mar 31, 1933. Shanghai. Among those who arrived here on the President McKinley were Gen. Morris A. Cohen of the 19th Route Army, returning to Shanghai after a visit to London and the United States.
Mar 31, 1933 – Shanghai Municipal Police Special Branch Officer, A.G. Tilton, sent to meet Cohen on his arrival per President McKinley in order to disarm him, reported that: “Re: Cohen, Morris Abraham - born London. I took one loaded automatic from him on the Customs jetty situated on the Bund. He was not issued with a permit to carry firearms”
Apr 9, 1933, Hong Kong. Personal Pars. General M.A. Cohen arrived in Hong Kong yesterday by the Dollar liner s.s. President Jefferson, which sailed from Shanghai on April 5.
Apr 11, 1933. Hong Kong. The funeral of the late Mr R.J. Stevens of the Far East Aviation Company, who was recently killed in an aviation crash at Liuchow, took place yesterday evening. Wreaths were sent by: General Cohen with General Ip Ka, Chief of Staff, 4th Route Army Corps.
Apr 14, 1933. Hong Kong. At the Hotels. New arrivals at the Peninsula Hotel since the last list was published are: Gen. M.A. Cohen.
Apr 17, 1933. Hong Kong. At the Post Office. Unclaimed Letters, Parcels and Radiograms. Poste Restante: General M.A. Cohen.
Apr 18, 1933. Shanghai. Passengers. Early yesterday morning the President Jefferson came into port from Hong Kong, From among her passengers, the following disembarked at Shanghai: Gen. M.A. Cohen.
Apr 24, 1933. Shanghai. Among the passengers sailing for Hong Kong this morning on the Empress of Asia are: General M.A. Cohen.
Apr 28, 1933. Hong Kong. Coming and Going. Local disembarkations from the Empress of Asia included: General M.A. Cohen.
Apr 28, 1933. Shanghai. Julian Working On Scheme For Sale Of Planes. Oil Promoter Offers High Powered Publicity to Chinese Government. C.C. Julian has made a proposal to co-operate with both the Nanking National and Canton governments in raising a fund sufficient to purchase 2,500 war planes. The proposal was disclosed through the arrival from Canton of Gen. Morris Cohen. Gen. Cohen long has been a resident of China and holds a commission in the Canton army.
May 4, 1933. Hong Kong. Unclaimed Telegrams. The following unclaimed telegrams are lying at the office of the Great Northern Telegraph Company: General Cohen, Hongkong Hotel, telegram from Shanghai.
May 5, 1933 – Weekly Letter No. 309 from G.O.C. HQ. Hong Kong: “’General’ Cohen and Mr Eugene Chen are in Canton. The latter has been appointed a member of the South West Political Council and will probably be given some post in connection with Foreign Affairs.”
May 21, 1933, Hong Kong. List Of Guests At The Peninsula Hotel: Gen. M.A. Cohen.
July 6, 1933. Vancouver. Brigadier General Morris Cohen. The life of Morris Cohen, better known to the Chinese as ‘Cohen Moisha’ and ‘Two-Gun Cohen’, reads like a page from a sentimental novel and is hardly believable. Yet it is said that ‘truth is stranger than fiction’ and the life of this Canadian celebrity is well worth reading. Today, one of the leading generals in the Sino-Japanese conflict is General Cohen. After the world war, Cohen joined the Chinese Nationalist League and became a prominent figure in China’s political turmoil. Recognizing Cohen’s ability as an economist as well as a military expert Dr Sun Yat-sen, father of the Chinese republic, invited Cohen to become his adviser. As such, Cohen drilled the Cantonese troops in the rudiments of military tactics and aided in promoting loans, which were successfully invested in efforts to place the Sun government in power. When Sun Yat-sen died in 1925, Cohen became adviser to Sun Fo, only son of the deceased leader. During the stormy years of Nankin-Canton civil warfare, Morris Cohen raised loans for the Cantonese faction. In June 1931, his services were rewarded when he was made a Brigadier General in the Canton Council. The Brigadier is well known in Canada.
July 8, 1933, Hong Kong. Guests At The Peninsula Hotel: Gen. M.A. Cohen.
July 20, 1933. Hong Kong. Dollar Line Departures. Departures for northern ports on the President Hoover included: Gen. M.A. Cohen
July 22, 1933. Shanghai. General Morris A. Cohen, former associate of the late Dr Sun Yat-sen, arrived in Shanghai from Hong Kong by the President Hoover yesterday.
Aug 5, 1933. Shanghai. Departing passengers per President Coolidge, Aug 5, for Hongkong include: Gen. M.A. Cohen.
Aug 6, 1933. Shanghai. The President Coolidge sailed for Hongkong yesterday afternoon. The following passengers embarked at Shanghai for Hongkong: Gen. M.A. Cohen.
Aug 9, 1933. Hong Kong. Coming and Going. Arrivals for Hongkong from Shanghai by the President Coolidge include: General M.A. Cohen.
Aug 11, 1933. New York. One of the most influential generals of the Chinese army is Morris Cohen. Right now he's in the midst of the Sino-Japanese conflict as a Brigadier General.
Aug 18, 1933, Hong Kong. Guests At The Peninsula Hotel: Gen. M.A. Cohen.
Late Aug, 1933 – Carr, H. memoir: “To locate the Firebrand of China, Eugene Chen, was not easy. I knew that he was somewhere in Hongkong – but where? Finally I ran across General Maurice Cohen. He and I had mutual friends in the navy. The only answer he gave to my plea to see Eugene Chen was a grunt. The next time I saw him he looked me straight in the eye and cut me dead; went on talking with some young ladies with whom he was having dinner. One day the telephone rang in my hotel room. ‘Come over here,’ the voice barked. It was Cohen. I went over at top speed. General Cohen was sitting at a table with an American. He greeted me with a curt nod and – ignored my existence. I sat down at another table. Presently a voice behind me growled, ‘Come on.’ In silence we walked up the stairs and knocked on a door of the room occupied by Eugene Chen. Chen said that Hu Han Min and Mrs Sun Yat Sen had been marked for slaughter – along with himself. I asked him if he could not remain in safety in the hotel under the strong protective arm of General Cohen. ‘Yes,’ he said bitterly. ‘But I have business to do for China. I can’t stay here in this hotel forever. Finally I shall have to go out. Then whatever happens – happens.’”
Sept 1, 1933, Hong Kong. List of Guests at the Peninsula Hotel: Gen. M.A. Cohen.
Sept 6, 1933, Hong Kong. Air-Race in S. China. Japanese Officials Interested. A Japanese report from Tokyo says that General Cohen is asking Canton’s approval for the establishment of a British controlled company to compete with the Pan American Airways in the Far East. The report concludes by stating that Japanese officials are following, with close interest, future development of the Anglo American air-race in South China.
Sept 6, 1933. Hong Kong. Air Rivalry. Japanese Report on British Ambition. Japanese reports from Tokyo state that General Maurice Cohen, who is in Hongkong, has been authorized to ask Canton’s approval for the establishment of a British controlled company to compete with the Pan-American Airways in the Far East.
Sept 6, 1933, Hong Kong. General Maurice Cohen. Japanese reports are that General Maurice Cohen has been asked to mediate between Nanking and Canton. A settlement of the outstanding political issues between Nanking and Canton is being sought, according to a Japanese report from Tokyo, which says that information has been received from official circles to the effect that Chiang Kai-shek has requested General Maurice Cohen, who is now in Hongkong, to approach Canton with this in view.
Sept 6, 1933, Shanghai. Nanking – Canton. Japanese Report of Mediatory Effort. Chiang Kai-shek has requested General Maurice Cohen to approach Canton. General Cohen was for some time adviser to the late Dr Sun Yat-sen. Reuter.
Sept 7, 1933. Hong Kong. Interviewed yesterday, General Maurice Cohen strongly denied that he is mediating between Nanking and Canton.
Sept 7, 1933. Hong Kong. Tokyo Rumours. Strong Denial by General Cohen. Interviewed by a South China Morning Post representative at the Hongkong Hotel, General Maurice Cohen denied the Tokyo report via Shanghai, that Chiang Kai-shek had requested the General to approach Canton with a view to settlement of outstanding political issues between Nanking and Canton. ‘Utterly ridiculous – damn nonsense. That is all I have to say,’ remarked the General. In similar terms, General Cohen also denied another Japanese report to the effect that General Cohen had been authorized to ask Canton’s approval of the establishment of a British controlled company to compete with the Pan-American Airways in the Far East.
Sept 8, 1933. Shanghai. Cohen Not Mediating in Political Issues. Reports ‘Ridiculous’ Declares Sun’s One-Time Adviser. General Maurice Cohen characterized as ‘utterly ridiculous’ the reports from Tokyo which stated that he had been requested by Chiang Kai-shek to approach Canton for a settlement of political issues between Canton and Nanking.
Sept 9, 1933. Shanghai. Cohen Plans Air Route in South China. According to information received by official circles in Tokyo, Gen. Morris Abraham Cohen, former British adviser to the late Dr Sun Yat-sen, who is now staying in Hongkong, is reported to have asked for authorization to establish a British-controlled air transport company with a view to coping with the newly-established Pacific-American Airways Company.
Sept 15, 1933, Hong Kong. Guests Staying At The Peninsula Hotel: Gen. M.A. Cohen.
Oct 6, 1933, Hong Kong. List of Guests at the Peninsula Hotel: Gen. M.A. Cohen.
Oct 10, 1933, Hong Kong. Peninsula Hotel. Latest List: Gen. M.A. Cohen.
Oct 11, 1933, Raleigh, North Carolina. Prominent People in China I Have Known, by Southern Baptist Missionary in South China, Dr John Lake. ‘One of the most picturesque of my friends in China is General Maurice Cohen, a Jew born in London. He was President Sun Yat-sen’s aide-de-camp when I first knew him, and he is now a general in the Chinese army. I have at times conversed with him in the Chinese language. When the Russian communists captured the city where I lived (Canton, December 1927), he showed me and my co-workers many courtesies. We have been good friends through the years.’
Oct 12, 1933, New York. My correspondent, travel author, Ellery Walter, informs me that on his way from Hong Kong to Shanghai he met the famous General Cohen. Morris Cohen is an Englishman by birth who was formerly aide to Dr Sun Yat Sen, the first President of the Chinese Republic. Morris Cohen is now a full-fledged General and Military Adviser to the South West Political Council. Ellery Walter says that General Cohen is an amazing character. He weighs over two hundred pounds and carries a towel to mop his brow every other minute. In spite of his weight he dances like a feather. But his speech is more interesting still. Though this General Morris Cohen looks like anything but an idealist, his quotations from the works of Dr Sun Yat Sen and the great philosophers of the world are enough to bowl you over. General Cohen has two great antipathies, Japan and Marshal Chiang Kai Shek.
Oct 25, 1933. Shanghai. Mother of General Cohen Injured. Knocked Down by Van in Manchester. Slightly Injured. Mrs Cohen was reported to be fairly comfortable. Her injuries are not serious.
Oct 26, 1933, Hong Kong. General Cohen’s Mother Knocked Down by Motor Van. Mrs Jane Cohen was taken to Manchester’s Jewish Victoria Memorial Hospital where she will be detained for a few days for treatment. About a year ago General Cohen went to England specifically to visit his parents.
Nov 8, 1933, Hong Kong. If Gossip We Must, by ‘Stella’. Saturday at the Races. I saw General Maurice Cohen with that ‘winner’s smile’.
Nov 10, 1933. Singapore. Gen. Cohen’s Mother. The aged mother of General Morris Cohen, the former Aide-de-Camp to Dr Sun Yat Sen, has been injured in a street accident in Manchester. General Cohen, often described as ‘the power behind China’, went to France during the last war with the Canadian forces, going on to the Far East after demobilization at the request of Dr Sun Yat Sen. A year ago General Cohen visited his parents in Manchester.
Nov 23, 1933. Shanghai. American China Judge Back in Shanghai After Trip to South China. Construction Booming in Canton. ‘There is a wonderful improvement in Canton. Buildings are going up and new roads are being built,’ said Judge Purdy. I met General Morris Cohen, I believe formerly a representative of Sun Yat-sen in Hongkong. We are old friends and talked a little. He intimated that the Fukien situation might develop into a movement of some sort, but I don’t think Cohen would like that mentioned,’ Judge Purdy smiled.
Nov 27, 1933, Hong Kong. The triangular rowing contest between the V.R.C., the R.H.K.Y.C., and the Canton Rowing Club proved to be extremely interesting. Among those on board the judge’s yacht, Snipe, was General Maurice Cohen. The finishing gun, which had had the attention of General Cohen, was working beautifully.
Dec 16, 1933, Hong Kong. Guests At The Peninsula Hotel: Gen. M.A. Cohen.
Dec 18, 1933. Hong Kong. General Cohen's Mother Hurt. Disquieting News For Colony Resident: A year ago, when General Cohen visited his parents in Manchester, he was military organiser in the Cantonese forces, acting as liaison officer between the Southern Government and foreign powers.
Dec 22, 1933, Hong Kong. If Gossip We Must, by ‘Stella’. It was amazing how great a crowd gathered to watch the two Wightman Cup tennis players. Among the hundreds of people on the stand I recognized General Maurice Cohen, the most romantic figure in South China.
Dec 30, 1933. Hong Kong. Charity Artist. Medicine For Poor. Mr Henry, the artist-magician, rendered an excellent programme of magic and art in aid of the St John Ambulance New Territories Medical Benevolent Branch. All the proceeds went to assist the free medical work done in the New Territories. Among the notable spectators were: Mr and Mrs Sun Fo; General Cohen.
1934
Jan 13, 1934. New York. Gen. Cohen Moishe – A Leader of Chinese Armies. When Japan’s military expansion in 1932 brought hostilities to Greater Shanghai, Gen. Cohen’s crafty defensive fighting played a role in the valiant defence of the city by Chinese troops.
Jan 17, 1934. Sydney. Chinese General. Behind the name Brigadier General Cohen Moishe lies an amazing story. A novelist would find it hard to equal the true life-story of this London boy who rose from humble station to occupy one of the highest possible offices in the Chinese military forces. To the Chinese, ‘Two-gun’ Cohen seems like a superman. And maybe they’re right!
Jan 19, 1934. Hong Kong. Guests Staying At The Peninsula Hotel: Gen. M.A. Cohen.
Jan 26, 1934. Hong Kong. Guests At The Peninsula Hotel: Gen. M.A. Cohen.
Feb 10, 1934. London. Mrs Nesta H. Webster writes: Volunteers. In order, some ten years ago, to render the Cantonese army more efficient, Sun Yat-sen had sent his friend Morris Cohen to enlist the aid of American and Canadian instructors and military experts. The British and American governments, however, prevented the execution of this plan.
Feb 13, 1934. Hong Kong. Guests At The Peninsula Hotel: Gen. M.A. Cohen.
Feb 20, 1934. Hong Kong. Guests Staying At The Peninsula Hotel: Gen. M.A. Cohen.
Feb 27, 1934. Hong Kong. Guests Staying At The Peninsula Hotel: Gen. M.A. Cohen.
Mar 6, 1934. Hong Kong. Guests Staying At The Peninsula Hotel: Gen. M.A. Cohen.
Mar 12, 1934. Shanghai. Passengers. Arrivals. The following is a list of Empress of Canada passengers who disembarked at Shanghai yesterday morning from Hongkong: Gen. M. Cohen.
Mar 28, 1934. Shanghai. Fellow Canadian Pays For Services. C.C. Julian, former Oklahoma and California oil operator, who killed himself Saturday night, will be saved from a pauper funeral by a Canadian countryman. Julian’s mourners included officer in the Chinese Army, General M.A. Cohen, a Canadian war veteran and onetime personal bodyguard for Dr. Sun Yat Sen, who knew Julian at Winnipeg in 1904. Cohen, as a fellow Canadian, paid the costs of the funeral.
Mar 29, 1934. Shanghai. Conflicting Tales Told By Julian's Women Friends: The Suicide verdict brought immediate protest from General M.A. Cohen, Canadian soldier who has held military and civil offices in China's government. Cohen was one of the nine persons to attend the funeral services yesterday.
Mar 29, 1934. Shanghai. General Cohen attends the British Police Court inquest into the death of C.C. Julian. Witness Mary Cantorovitch suggests suicide, which would render any life insurance policy made payable to Julian’s wife and children in Winnipeg null and void. With her evidence completed, the silence of the court room was interrupted by General Cohen. “May it please your honour,” he stated, but was told to keep quiet by the marshal. After the inquest, he pointed out to Mary Cantarovitch that she deliberately did not mention that Julian was in the habit of taking amytal tablets.
Mar 30, 1934. Shanghai. H.M. Police Court. C.C. Julian Inquest. At a point in the proceedings, Gen. Morris Cohen, a spectator in the audience, asked permission to speak but his request was disallowed.
Apr 30, 1934. Hong Kong. Local & General. Gen. Cohen, a well-known personality on the China Coast, arrived in the Colony on Saturday by the r.m.s. Empress of Canada.
May 1, 1934. Hong Kong. New arrivals at the Peninsula Hotel since the last list was published are: Gen. M.A. Cohen.
May 2, 1934. Canton. Canton People. General Morris Cohen is renewing acquaintances on Shameen, where he is registered at the Victoria Hotel.
All of the above comprise selected, edited extracts that have been taken from:
2020 - Maj.Gen. M.A. 'Two-Gun' Cohen - a 496 page life chronology..jpg | Gwulo