LAST
RFF.
Cypher
CONFIDENTIAL
INWARD TELEGRAM
TO THE COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (The Secretary of State)
FROM HONG KONG (Sir D. Trench)
D. 5 June, 1967. R. 5
10152
IMMEDIATE
CONFIDENTIAL
No. 775.
Addressed Repeated
#
113
RECEIVED IN ARCHIVES No. 63
- 6 JUN 1967
HWB
Orijinala HWA 1/17
to Commonwealth Office.
"Peking No. 310.
"P.A. Singapore No. 162.
"Washington No. 167.
(Please pass
IMMEDIATE to Peking, PRIORITY to other two).
Hong Kong Disturbances.
You should know of some naval activities due during next two weeks which may draw broadsides from Chinese press:-
(a)
H.M.S. BULWARK is to carry out an exercise from 5 9 June area of the Saikung Peninsula and the port shelter, 10-14 miles N.E. of Hong Kong. A commando landing with helicopters will take place.
H631. Copy for US Naval
visiti file.
As
5.6.67
(b)
H.M.A.S. MELBOURNE aircraft carrier is to pay a visit from 8-21 June with two other Australian ships, supply tanker and a frigate.
a
(c) Number of small U.S. ships in harbour, (at present 4)
will be 8 on 8 June and 9 on 9 June.
2. I think that these activities may have a good effect on local confidence; and especially since it has been public knowledge for some time that (a) and (b) have been planned. do not propose to interfere with any of them. But the following precautions have been taken:-
I
(a) A press release has emphasised that BULWARK exercise
is purely routine. The scenario does not have any reference to current local circumstances. Only very limited activities will take place at night and then only in places far away from populated areas.
(b) Press release will point out that MELBOURNE is on a
cruise which began in March and that she has paid annual visits here since 1964.
(c)
In order to avoid having an excessive number of U.S. ships in the harbour at the same time as (a) and (b) we have asked the Americans as a courtesy to stand down two of the four destroyers originally scheduled to come here at the same time as HORNET (my telegram 727).
CONFIDENTIAL
/(Passed