CONFIDENTIAL
133
COPY FOR REGISTRATION
INWARD TELEGRAM
TO THE COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
(The Secretary of State)
FROM HONG KONG (Sir D. Trench)
Cypher
D. 24 May 1967 R. 24
04402
IMMEDIATE
IDENTIAL
No.682
Addressed to Commonwealth Office
Repeated
11
11
#
Peking No.256
24
MAY 1967
12 1
0 RECEIVED IN ARCHIVES Nɔ. 63
"POLAD Singapore No.124 "Washington No.135
24 MAY 1967
HUD 1/11
(S. of S. please pass IMMEDIATE to all)
Foreign Office telegram to Peking No.386.
As seen from here, closure of N.C.N.A. in London
is likely to have following repercussions on Hong Kong situation.
20
One of our main purposes here is to keep down tension and, unless we are forced to take a specific step to meet the internal security situation in Hong Kong, to avoid anything which might lead to greater involvement by Peking. While we see the value of closing the N.C.N.A. in London as a retaliation against Shanghai, our fear is that Chinese will regard it also in Hong Kong context and increase their pressures here
3. Further, if we were to close N.C.N.A. in London but not to close them in Hong Kong, not only Peking but also opinion here (both Communist and non-Communist) might well regard it as an admission on our part that we did not dare to take this action here. Fact that N.C.N.A. is engaging in even more poisonous propaganda and activities here than in Britain would emphasise the point even more. But we would regard closing of N.C.N.A. in Hong Kong as a major escalation which we think would inevitably provoke a strong response from Peking affecting the Colony.
4. In the interests of Hong Kong therefore I would feel much happier if you could avoid taking such a step.
(Passed as requested with advance copies
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