2
SECRET
INWARD TELEGRAM
COPY FOR REGISTRATION
TO THE COMMONWEALTH OFFICE (The Secretary of State)
FROM HONG KONG (Sir D. Trench)
Z
10
FE3
1967
Cypher
D. 1st February 1967 R. 1st
#1
11
11.35 hrs.
IMMEDIATE SECRET No.153
こ
RECEIVED IN ARCHIVES No. 63 2 PEBIYO
HWB 10/6
Addressed to Commonwealth Office Repeated Peking No.61
"P.A. Singapore No.28
1:
(Commonwealth Office please pass
IMMEDIATE to both)
Your telegram No.203.
Exercise Caricature.
MAS
(2)
The exercise which will last about a week and will include both beach and helicopter landings, is on a rather
Initial landings larger scale than other recent exercises.
are planned on Lantau and in Castle Peak area and the exercise will take place over a wide area of new territories south of Sek Kong: but this has also been done before on several
Real occasions recently, although again on a smaller scale. difference on this occasion lies in the employment in the exercise of forces from outside Hong Kong.
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Naval units include H.M. ships FEARLESS, BULWARK, SIR LANCELOT, a submarine, a minesweeper squadron, fleet auxiliaries and escorts. Military forces include Commando Brigade (two commando groups with light artillery and engineers and two special boat sections) and one British battalion with elements of two Ghurka battalions as enemy. Air forces include eight fighter aircraft and about 30 helicopters (nearly half locally based).
3. I agree that an exercise on this scale and at this time clearly could cause serious difficulties. I have accordingly had the need to consider whether or not it ought to be cancelled very much in mind for some time, but have been concerned not to come to a premature view until there was really sufficient justification to warrant it. So far, therefore, I have contented myself with insisting from the start on the right to refuse to allow the exercise to proceed right up to the very last moment. This has been accepted by C. in C. F.E.
Le An important consideration in my view is the general undesirability of allowing ourselves to get into the position of not being able to exercise British forces on British territories when we want to. It is perhaps significant that, as far as I can recollect the Chinese have never yet protested against exercises held by British forces here.
SECRET
15.