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and more difficult to combat, others too improbable to deceive even the most
credulous.
To a large extent these propaganda efforts were most effectively
countered by the reports of the non-communist press, as well as by the Colony's
wireless and television services that produced a steady stream of factual
reports and pictures. Further counter-measures were taken by Government
departments and by the Department of Information Services in particular, which
took immediate steps to keep the public constantly informed of the true state
of affairs by wireless broadcasts, press releases, short films that were
distributed to all cinemas, and, where necessary and practicable, by word of
mouth.
Additional, and rather unusual, publicity methods were brought to use.
The loudspeakers set up at the Bank of China building were countered by setting
up rival and more powerful loudspeakers at buildings in the vicinity which
regaled the public with the music of Cantonese opera and effectively drowned
the stream of communist propaganda. The battle was deafening and caused
considerable amusement to the onlookers, but it ended in the defeat of the
communists who were unable to make any further effective use of this weapon.
The tactics employed by the communists up to the major incident on 22nd
May had not attracted any noticeable increase in support for confrontation
and the attempts to make political capital out of the clash on that day met
with little success. Indeed the feeling of the majority of the population
was made clear by a number of public expressions of support for the Government.
A group of business men in the Colony set up a fund for the higher education
of the children of the Police officers, which attracted support and donations
from thousands of individuals. In a fortnight it reached a total of $3 million,
an extraordinary acknowledgement by the people of Hong Kong of the debt that
they owed the Police.
The Hong Kong Federation of Students, as well as Kaifong associations
and leading members of the community, publicly expressed their loyalty and
confidence in the Government. This lead was followed by similar expressions
of suport from numerous organisations representing a complete cross-section
of the Colony and ranging from hawker associations to professional associations
and business houses. They included clansmen and district associations, multi-
storey building management associations religious organisations and indeed
social organisations of almost every kind. In all some 620 letters,
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