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3. I AM SATISFIED THAT ACTION TO DEREGISTER SHOULD NOW BE TAKEN.
THE REOPENING OF A MAJOR COMMUNIST SCHOOL WOULD HAVE A VERY ADVERSE
EFFECT UPON PUBLIC MORALF, AND, WHILE THE COMMUNISTS WOULD LOOK
UPON IT AS A VICTORY, ROTH THEY AND THE GENEVAL PUBLIC WOULD
INTERPRET A DECISION TC ALLOW REOPENING AS A SIGN OF WEAKNESS
ON THE PART OF GOVERNMENT. FURTHERMORE, FAILURE TO DE-REGISTER A
SCHOOL WHICH HAD DELIBERATELY ENGAGED IN MAKING BOMBS WOULD MAKE
NONSENSE OF OUR EFFORTS TC CONTROL COMMUNIST SCHOOLS. THE DENIAL
OF THIS RELATIVELY NEW BUILDING TO THE COMMMUNISTS WOULD MEAN THAT
PLACES IN OTHER CHOOLS BEING USED TO ACCOMMODATE FORMER CHUNG
WAH SCHOOL STUDENTS WOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR NEW STUDENTS,
AND WOULD HELP TO COUNTER TO SOME EXTENT THE PLANS THAT THE COMM-
-UNISTS HAVE FOR FURTHER SCOOL EXPANSION THIS YEAR.
4. ON THE OTHER HAND, DEREGISTRATION AT THIS SEEMINGLY LATE
STAGE COULD BE REGARDED AS A DELIBERATE PROVOCATION BY GOVERNMENT
AND WOULD, UNDOUBTEDLY, LEAD TO INCREASED ANTI-GOVERNMENT
PROPAGANDA LOCALLY, WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF DEMONSTRATIONS,
AND VERY POSSIBLY A PROTEST IN PEKING CONCERNING THE ATTACK
UPON PATRICTIC EDUCATION, SINCE THE LOCAL COMMUNIST SCHOOLS
ARE ONE OF THE MAIN ARMS OF ACTIVITY IN THE COLONY.
5. I BELIEVE THAT THE BALANCE OF ADVANTAGE LIES ON THE SIDE OF
DEREGISTRATION, AND UNLESS THERE ARE OTHER IMPORTANT FACTORS
WHICH YOU THINK MUST BE GIVEN GREATER WEIGHT I WOULD PROPOSE TO ISSUE
AN ORDER DEREGISTERING THE SCHOOL ON JULY 18TH, 1.E. ABOUT FOUR
WEEKS BEFORE THE EXISTING CLOSURE ORDER EXPIRES. IN THE EVENT
THAT A
DEREGISTRATION CRDER IS MADE, THE ACCOMPANYING PUBLICITY
WOULD LAY STRESS UPON THE TCTALLY UNACCEPTABLE CONDUCT
OF THE SCHOOL IN ITS INVOLVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF BOMBS.
I SHALL BE GRATEFUL IF YOU WILL LET ME KNOW WHETHER YOU SEE
ANY REASON NOT TO PROCEED IN THIS WAY.
F.O. FLEASE PASS ROUTINE PEKING AS MY T LEGRAM 291
SIR D. TRENCH
DEPARTMENT'L DISTRIBUTION
C.O. H.K.D.
I.P.D.
I.R.D. NEWS DEPT.
DEFENCH DEPT.
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