U.K. YES ONLY
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Security Considerations
87.
The overriding security requirement precludes any effective planning on the lines indicated in paragraph 5. To produce any priority lists that would be moaningful (i.e. up-to-date and including addresses) it would be nocessary to call on the continuing services of a number of officials in Hong Kong. Area Wardens could not be expected to discharge their duties successfully unless appointed in advance and given some advance information of their functions. Any realistic planning for assembly and ovacuation arcas and for mobilisation of civil transport must involve a large number of persons than is permissible having knowledge of the scheme. Moreover, arrangements for temporary transit and reception centres for large numbers would ontail some advance discussion with other administrations e.g. tho Philippine and Singapore Governments and the Taiwan authorities. considerations would also prevent any officially directed or sponsored" wooding out of dependants in advance of a general evacuation (although it is possible that many would already have been sent out by firms and individuals acting on their own initiative). Consequently, the operation could only be a very limited ono, capable of being notified to those concerned, and implemented, in a short space of time. The time factor is of particular importance. Any interval between evacuees boing notified and actually getting away must be minimal because news of the evacuation could only aggravate the internal
security situation.
The likely Hong Kong Situation
8.
Similar
Whereas in normal evacuation exercises elsewhere little rogard need be paid to the impact of the departures, the overriding nood to maintain public confidence in Hong Kong requiros that evacuation should be deferred until the last possible moment. By that time, whether ovacuation was necessary because of invasion by the Chinese or because the internal security situation had deteriorated to an intolerable extent, conditions in the built-up areas of Hong Kong and Kowloon, where most of the potential ovacuoos livo, would he chaotic. It is probable that trans, buses, forrics and taxis would be out of service and that the stroots would be so crowded with people that private cars would have difficulty in moving; it is also by no means inconceivable that Communist mobs, smolling victory and swolled by recruits to the winning side, would be out in pursuit of a number of the poople who were to be evacuated. In such circunstances, any large-scale mov movement of ovacuocs would be impossible. Nor would it be practicablo for ovacuocs to collect at onbarkation points since any congregation of people would at once attract a crowd whost attitude night well be hostile.
/dangers
Those
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