61
En Clair
PRIORITY No.357
INWARD TELEGRAM
TO THE COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
(The Secretary of State)
FROM HONG KONG (Sir D. Trench)
D. 18th March 1967
R. 18th
11
#
04.35 hrs.
RECEIVED IN
ARCHIVES NË, 53! 20 MAR
Addressed to Commonwealth Office (D.T.D.)
Repeated
tt
管碧
Peking No.1 25
"Washington No.64
(C.0. please pass)
#t
11
POLAD Singapore No.45
HWA2//
The local left-wing press this morning (18th March) continues to give prominence to articles about the alleged use of Hong Kong by the U.S. as a military base.
2.0
In an editorial on the front page of the Ta Kung Pao stresses the increased use of Hong Kong harbour by U.S. naval vessels as evidenced by a comparison of last year's and this year's figures for visits and claims that the U.S.'s vastly increased use of Hong Kong as an aggressive base is an indisputable fact. "That the British Labour Government and the British authorities in Hong Kong should thus willingly play the part of accomplices of U.S. imperialism makes people extremely angry"
3. Elsewhere there are articles about an attack on a taxi driver by a sailor from the 'ENTERPRISE' and about the arrival on 17th March of three more U.S. vessels, making 10 in port at present. Two of the new arrivals (a tug and a minesweeper) went alongside at Tamar -"This is further proof that the British authorities in Hong Kong are directly providing the naval base at Tamar for use by U.S. naval vessels".
4. Another prominent article on the Hong Kong news page says that large numbers of U.S. military aircraft are continuing to use Kai Tak Airport. Most of them flying between Hong Kong and various points in South Vietnam. It goes on to say that it is quite obvious that large numbers of U.S. officers and soldiers arrive by air in Hong Kong, despite the fact that they change into civilian clothes and despite attempts to hush the matter up. This use of Hong Kong is connected with the developments of numbers of U.S. air bases in Asia. Kai Tak is used every day by aircraft from South Vietnam bringing aggressive U.S. soldiers, and also by all sorts of fighter, reconnaissance and even spy aircraft. As from the middle of March 1966, the U.S. military have changed to using chartered aircraft. (Passed as requested)
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