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CONFIDENTIAL ANNEX
OPD (67) 40th Meeting, Iten 3
(THURSDAY, 21st DECEMBER 1967 at 10.00 a.n.)
3.
HONG KONG
(Previous Reference: OPD (67) 28th Meeting, Iten 8)
The Committee considered a nemorandum by the Commonwealth Secretary (OPD (67) 85) on contingency planning for Hong Kong.
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS (Lord Shepherd) said
that since the decision taken by the Committee on 28th July that limited
contingency planning should be carried out for a possible withdrawal from Hong Kong in emergency, there had been further studies by officials of the feasibility of such planning. These studies had also extended to the
financial and economic measures which we might take in such circumstances.
The studies had shown that it would be impossible, without making detailed
arrangements in advance, to implement any outline plan for a large-scale
evacuation from Hong Kong and that any attempt to make such arrangements
would involve informing a substantial number of persons in Hong Kong as
well as consulting foreign governments about transport and reception areas
for evacuees. If such consultations were initiated, the fact that we were
planning a possible evacuation of Hong Kong would inevitably become known
in the Colony and this would have very serious effects on morale there.
In these circumstances we should for the time being at any rate suspend
planning for any large-scale evacuation and rely on mounting a crash
operation if the need arose to evacuate as many vulnerable and sensitive
persons as was possible. If we were forced to make any public statement
on this matter, we should have to say that we were not planning for
evacuation and that we intended to maintain the authority of the Hong Kong
Government and fulfil our responsibilities and obligations to the Colony.
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