Dd. 32855 Ed (4200)
NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN
www
7
-
CONFIDENTIAL
This sentence goes but for as
suouls, Sthink, be omitted.
→
The growth of such feelings, too, hardly helps
our exporters to the Hong Kong market, nor do they
form the best background against which to nego-
tiate an increased defence contribution from the
Colony towards the costs of our garrison there.
(We are just about to embark on what are likely to
be extremely difficult negotiations on this point).
10. In failing to respond to Hong Kong's
request over Kai Tak we are in a most vulnerable
position because of our own strong interests in
the airfield and the use we have made of it in
our civil aviation negotiations. It was built
with the Hong Kong taxpayers' money; we have
used our authority over Hong Kong to deny entry
to the airport to foreign airlines, whom the
Hong Kong taxpger would have been glad to see
there in the interests of the Colony and its
economy.
У
All this we have done in the interests
of our own airlines. But in doing so we are
sailing desperately near the wind in regard to
our obligations under the U.N. charter to
recognise as paramount theinterests of the
peoples of our dependent territories of which, of
course, Hong Kong is by far the largest still
remaining. A loan from U.K. funds to finance the
expansion of the airport would go some way at
least to make our position more respectable and
help us to retain it in the future. therwios
I doubt very much whether we ought to attempt to
continue to suetair
And we can be sure that
suetain it.7
Hong Kong will mount constant pressure to be
سر
CONFIDENTIAL
/allowed