PK Figg
NATIONALITY BILL: COLONIALS
аккзно!!
PA
50
1. In my submission of today's date covering three draft telegrams to colonial governors, you will see that there is a strong reservation by Mr McLaren, head of Hong Kong and General Department. I think I ought to explain what happened,
for your background information.
2. In the telegrams agreed with the Home Office on 1 August (these were attached to my minute to you of 2 August) there was a paragraph suggesting two possible terms to be used to describe colonials. The terms were not in my view particularly apt, but were intended as illustrations, and the recipients were invited to make further suggestions.
3. Mr McLaren felt strongly that more terms should be put to the governors for their consideration and came to see me yesterday afternoon with the attached alternative draft (marked "suspended" in red). This telegram was shewn to the Home Office who so disliked the additional terms that they insisted that they be included in the telegram with an indication that they would not be acceptable.
4. Mr McLaren thinks that unless some other apt term is found we should make further representations to the Home Office.
I agree with him: it is important to find words which are both apt and elegant, and the terms which the Home Office so far seem to favour are neither. I think, however, we should wait to see what the colonial governors say.
5. As a matter of tactics it might be a good idea to interest Ministers in the choice of terms. It seems to me that is it
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