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MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
CHILFS OF STAFF COMMITTEE
CONFIDENTIAL ANNEX
ΤΟ
CO3 53RD MEETING767, HELD ON TUESDAY 27TH JUNE 1967 AT 2.45 pm
MEETING WITH SIR DAVID TRENCH. GOVERNOR AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF HONG KONG
SIR RICHARD HULL warmly welcomed Sir David Trench (Governor and Commander-in-Chief, Hong Kong) to their meeting and said that they were most grateful for this opportunity to hear his views on the present situation in Hong Kong. Before asking him to speak he would like to say how greatly they had admired the way he had handled the recent unpleasant and difficult problems in Hong Kong.
SIR DAVID TRENCH thanked the Chief of the Defence Staff for his welcome and said that he was glad of the opportunity to give them his personal vic is on the troubles in Hong Kong.
The immediate and superficial position in Hong Kong was encouraging. After months of organisation the Communists had made their biggest effort so far in calling for a large scale strike on transport services and public utilities. They had used methods of intimidation and straight bribery and had timed the strike to coincide with the Governor's departure for the United Kingdon. They had been forced to bring forward the date of the strike, which was proving to be none too successful and this major effort on their part was not inconveniencing the people of Hong Kong too greatly.
However, beneath the surface, the general situation and outlook for the future were not good. The situation had changed entirely since before April 1967 when the Chinese People's Government were standing by their statement to allow the status quo in Hong Kong to remain. Now they had declared openly that they did not accept the present system of rule in Hong Kong and, as in Macao, would endeavour to force events to the state where only an abject British administration would be left in being. This they would endeavour to achieve through the left wing Communist leaders in Hong Kong who were still planning violent disruptions and through the workers, students and by economic means.
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