Registry
No.
TOP SECRET
DRAFT
LETTER
Type 1 +
DSR11
SECURITY CLASSIFICATION
Top Secret,
Secret.
Confidential.
Restricted.
Unclassified.
PRIVACY MARKING
Cc:
..In Confidence
OI Green Esq
Head of CA2 Dept of Trade Shell Mex House A
ле Palmer
esg Jet. Apt. Feo
M.W. Athinson MIJ.
exy Flo
B.M. Norbury cry
JSI MOA.
of the UK
Gost
who could, if
dosefare
tracting to
Ashurdinate
3
To:-
J K T Frost Esq
Head of SP2 Division
Department of Trade
34-36 Parliament Street
LONDON SW1A 2ND
REQUISITIONING OF SHIPS ORDER 1969
wile
From
DF Milton
2
J. DAVID.
Telephone No. Ext.
lephone
233 4381
Department Hong Kong
1. At the briefing meeting for Alan Fletcher, Director of Marine in the Hong Kong Government, on 23 August,
whom I am succood wire
Robin Janvrin of this department agreed inter alia to reconsider the Requisitioning of Ships Order 1969 with a view to its updating. We shall, of course, need to consult the Governor of Hong Kong but, before Datos, I would welcome your views on the following points:-
(a) Operative Article 2 of the Order (copy attached)
gives specified powers to "The Board of Trade or a Secretary of State". Since the Order was made
In the organisation & sovammant there have been considerable governmental changes which have affected the old Board of Trade. I
would be grateful to know if you are content with the
to think fuck it would some fince the reference you a feudong Stake
present wording of Article, 2. eam nickn
the present catch all phraseelegy would permit the Secretary of State for Commonwealth and Foreign Affai
to exercise the (specified) powers if this was deemed
to be desirable in the light of the circumstances
at the time;
(ه)
would abbeer to be.
car f
Surtable
either
La
As there is no longer a Regional Shipping Adviser, or Sea Transport Officers in Hong Kong, there are now no officers in the area to whom the functions of the Secretary of State could be delegated (under operative Article 3 of the Order) in the event of an invasion of Hong Kong becoming imminent. The question is therefore to whom should the functions be delegated. The most obvious candidate would appear to be the Governor, or the officer administering the government at the time. And in turn, subject to appropriate instructions, the functions
could be further delegated to an officer of the Hong Kong Government og to the Director of Marine Wo
The I-K- quam went
138649 Dd.107857
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