En clair
INWARD TELEGRAM
TO THE COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (The Secretary of State)
FROM HONG KONG (Sir D. Trench)
D. 14th January, 1967 R. 14th
11
PA.
11.40 hrs.
ܠܧ
DAIR.
171.
15
No. 58
Addressed to Commonwealth Office Repeated to Washington No. 14
#1
W
Peking No. 25
11 PA Singapore No. 9
(Commonwealth Office please pass to all)
On 11th January the local left wing press carried articles on their Hong Kong news pages about the arrival the day before of the aircraft carrier "ROOSEVELT" and other vessels. The conclusion was drawn that U.S. imperialism was continuing to make use of Hong Kong as an operational base.
*
2. The local left wing press today carry very prominently on their Hong Kong news pages photographs of the "ROOSEVELT" a feature article and a short commentary. The articles claim that in the first 13 days of January, 12 U.S. naval vessels had called in Hong Kong and that this was evidence of increasing use of Hong Kong as a military base for aggression. They add "the use of Hong Kong as a base by U.S. naval vessels has always been intimately connected with U.S. military activities in its aggression in Vietnam.....when one aircraft carrier leaves, another one arrives straightaway. Every one month one aircraft carrier is maintained in Hong King." They also refer to the way in which aircraft carriers which have visited Hong Kong soon afterwards appear in North Vietnamese waters.
3. The commentaries point to the C P G's warnings and protests in the past and repeat the criticism of the offer of Hong Kong as a possible site for peace negotiations. The Wen Wei Pao commentator concludes by asking whether the British authorities in Hong Kong can afford not to make a very careful assessment of where its best interests lie.
(Passed as requested)
Departmental Distrubution.
RECEIVED IN
ARCHIVES No.63
16 JANWO/
H/WB 2/1 32/1
нюв
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