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PRIORITY HONG KONG TO COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
TELEGRAM NO. 831
29 JUNE, 1968
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ADDRESSED TO COMMONWEALTH OFFICE TELEGRAM NO.831
of 29 JUNE, REPEATED FOR INFORMATION TO PEKING.
YOUR TELEGRAM NO.1203:
CHUNG WAH MIDDLE SCHOOL.
I HAVE PERHAPS NOT MADE IT SUFFICIENTLY CLEAR THAT THE
ONLY REASON WHY THE SCHOOL WAS NOT DEREGISTERED BEFORE HAS BEEN
THAT AT ALL OTHER EARLIER TIMES SOME OTHER MORE URGENT (BUT NOT NECESSARILY MORE IMPORTANT) ACTION AGAINST THE COMMUNISTS
HAS BEEN CONTEMPLATED OR IN TRAIN: AND, SINCE ACTION AGAINST THE
SCHOOL WAS NOT IMMEDIATELY NECESSARY, IT HAS BEEN DEFERRED IN
ORDER TO AVOID POSSIBLE REPERCUSSIONS IN PEKING ARISING FROM
A COMBINATION OF ACTIONS TAKEN HERE.
2.
'TO TAKE YOUR POINTS IN DETAIL. LOCAL COMMUNISTS WOULD
CERTAINLY MAKE ABUSIVE PROPAGANDA OUT OF DEREGISTRATION JUST
AS THEY WOULD MAKE ABUSIVE PROPAGANDA OUT OF THE RE-OPENING OF
THE SCHOOL OR ANYTHING ELSE WHICH SUITED THEM. THE COMMUNIST
PRESS STILL PUBLISHES A VERY CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF SEDITIOUS
STATEMENTS DAILY. THAT LOCAL COMMUNIS TS WOULD PRETENT DEREGISTRATION
WAS PROVOCATIVE I DO NOT DOUBT: JUST AS I DO NOT DOUBT THEY ARE
PRETENDING TO THEIR FOLLOWERS THAT THEY WILL BE ABLE TO FORCE US
TO RE-OPEN THE SCHOOL. CONCEIVABLY THE REACTION COULD GO AS FAR
AS THE WORST CASE STATED IN PARAGRAPH 4 OF MY TELEGRAM NO.765. IT
CAN BE CONTAINED IF IT DOES. BUT IN ACTUAL FACT, I DOUBT IF THEY
WILL GO SO FAR. THEY MUST KNOW THEY ARE BASICALLY ON A BAD
WICKET: AND I AM REASONABLY SURE THEY ARE DOUBTFUL WHETHER WE WILL
ALLOW THEM TO RE-OPEN AND WILL BE JUBILANT IF WE DO SO.
3.
ALLOWING THEM TO RE-OPEN WILL CERTAINLY BOOST MORALE
CONSIDERABLY IN COMMUNIST EDUCATIONAL CIRCLES, AS WELL AS AGAIN
CAUSING DOUBT AND LOSS OF PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN US. IN GENERAL
THE PUBLIC PROBABLY DO NOT DISTINGUISH BETWEEN CLOSURE OF THE
VHWA 9/12
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