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have shown great resilience in the face of the developments of last year, there is no doubt that their confidence in the future has been affected. The communist campaign in Hong Kong has not ceased; the indications are that it is entering a lengthy phase of non-violent "political struggle" and that steady communist pressure will be maintained; and opinion in the Colony 1s worried by the acceleration of our withdrawal from Singapore. Against this background the credibility of our intention to stand by the Colony assumes an even greater importance (unis is the point the Governor makes in his most recent letter.
We have in the last year given assurances in Parliament and elsewhere that we are determined to maintain our posicion and authority in the Colony and to fulfil our responsibilities to the pe ple; we need to let it be seen that we mean this, particularly after the decision about Singapore. I believe that the ordinary people of Hong Kong expect us to maintain our posi- tion in circumstances short of a major war. They will be increas- ingly worried as the closure of our base at Singapore approaches. If at the same time it becomes apparent that air cover is being withdrawn from Hong Kong, there will be widespread concern. At chis juncture a small fighter presence would have considerable value in terms of sustaining public murale; in its absence, the effect of a Chinese intrusion into Hong Kong airspace, however
harmless, could be catastrophic.
There is a further point, not mentioned by the Gover or, to which I attach some weight. Today, flginter visits to liong Kong are frequent, regular and in the nature of routine operations. When this is no longer possible and we send fighters there only in time of deteriorating relations with China, the mounting of a special operacion of this kind must tend to heighten Lension and exacerbate relations. We could avoid this by having a small force permanently on the spot.
As at present, therefore, we feel that the case for main- taining a fighter presence in Hong Kong after we shut down
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