CONFIDENTIAL
BACKGROUND NOTE
THE GOVERNORSHIP OF HONG KONG
1.
The Governor of Hong Kong is appointed by the Crown, on the advice of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, and is responsible for the administration of the Colony. He has wide constitutional powers, including the power to legislate
for the Colony.
2.
The present Governor, Sir Murray MacLehose, was appointed in November 1971 for a term of 5 years. Sir Murray has been a strikingly successful Governor and his term has been extended three times, most recently on 22 March 1978: he is now due to retire in August 1979.
3.
Choosing a successor to Sir Murray is not, therefore, an immediate problem and the subject is not under active considera- tion at the moment. When the time comes, among the qualities that will be looked for, in addition to such things as intellect- ual calibre and proven administrative ability, will be wide knowledge and understanding of the region. Although the race or colour of candidates will not be factors to be considered, the chosen candidate will have to be someone who we believe to be acceptable to the Chinese. It is unlikely that they would regard a local Hong Kong Chinese as acceptable and we would not, therefore, in present circumstances recommend appointing such
a person.
have
4. Sir Murray MacLehose is a member of the Diplomatic Service. Previous Governors have come from HM Overseas Civil Service (previously the Colonial Service). Although candidates from both services may be considered when the time comes to appoint a new Governor, they are certainly not the only potential
sources.
CONFIDENTIAL
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