HONG KONG TELEGRAM NO. SECRET COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
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6.
ON THE CONTROL OF COMMUNIST SCHOOLS IN GENERAL. I HOPE THERE
IS NO CONFUSION AS TO WHAT MY ATTITUDE REALLY IS. WE CANNOT
OPECT TO REASONABLY WELL CONDUCTED SCHOOLS JUST BECAUSE THEY
ARE COMMUNIST. BUT THERE ARE NONE SUCH HERE, AND I DO OBJECT VERY
STRONGLY TO THE UNCONTROLLED SPREAD OF A COMMUNIST SCHOOL SYSTEM
WHICH IS MERELY A DELIBERATE BREEDING GROUND FOR HATE AND VIOLENCE.
TOGETHER WITHTHE PRESS (WHICH WE ARE INHIBITED FROM TOUCHING)
AND THE COMMUNIST UNIONS (WHICH ARE TO SOME EXTENT OPEN TO
CONTROL OF THEIR MORE FLAGRANT BREACHES OF THE LAW) THE SCHOOLS
ARE THE MOST DANGEROUS PROBLEM WE FACE IN BOTH THE SHORT AND LONG
TERM AND I SHALL BE MOST GRAVELY HAMPERED OF I AM UNABLE TO
TAKE WHAT STEPS I CAN, WITHOUT TOO DANGEROUS A COMMUNIST REACTION
ELSEWHERE, BOTH TO CURB THE MORE OBJECTIONABLE PRACTICES OF
EXISTING ONES AND TO RESTRICT THEIR EXPANSION.
7. TO SUM UP, I CONSIDER THIS SCHOOL SHOULD BE DEREGISTERED FOR
THE REASONS ALREADY GIVEN AND FOR THE ADDITIONAL REASON NOT
PERHAPS YET SUFFICIENTLY STRESSED THAT IF I DO NOT
DEREGISTER THIS SCHOOL FOR MAKING BOMBS, AND LAY MYSELF OPEN TO A
CHARGE OF NOT PROTECTING CHILDREN FROM THIS KIND OF THING, THEN
I DO NOT SEE ANY LIKELY GROUNDS ARISING ON WHICH I CAN EVER USE
THE PROVISIONS OF THIS PART OF THE ORDINANCE AGAIN, EVEN
AGAINST NON-COMMUNIST SCHOOLS, WITHOUT HAVING CHUNG WAH THROWN
IN MY FACE. FURTHERMORE, EFFORTS QUIETLY TO DISCOURAGE THE LEASING
OR SELLING OF BUILDINGS BY PRIVATE PERSONS TO THE COMMUNISTS FOR
USE AS SCHOOLS WILL BE MUCH MORE DIFFICULT IF WE OURSELVES GIVE
IN HERE.
8. NEXT, I AM APPREHENSIVE OF THE PUBLIC REACTION TO NOT
DEREGISTERING, WHILE BEING PREPARED TO FACE ANY LIKELY CUNDER-
LINE NEXT WORDƆ LOCAL COMMUNIST REACTION. I DO NOT BELIEVE A
CONCESSION HERE WILL HAVE THE SLIGHTEST EFFECT AS A GESTURE OF
RECONCILIATION, NOR DO I BELIEVE ANY CONCESSIONS SHORT OF MOST
DAMAGING AND UNACCEPTABLE ONES WILL EVER HAVE ANY SUCH EFFECT
LOCALLY. IT WILL BE RECALLED THAT ONE CONTACT, IN THIS GENERAL
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