Simplex
PRIORITY
TOP SECRET
No. 1148.
TO HONG KONG (Sir A. Grantham)
Draft
DEF. 75/51/02
00.30 hrs.
Sent 9th November, 1957.
Addressed to Governor, Hong Kong.
Repeated to Commissioner-General, Singapore No.288
(via Foreign Office)
Defence Contribution.
Your telegram No. 963.
You are right about the unit: if one
Artillery Regiment, over and above the long-term garrison of six major units, is to be temporarily stationed in Hong Kong it would not be the 74th L.A.A. Regiment. Another Artillery Regiment would have to be found to replace it from the United Kingdom. If such an arrangement proves possible the L.A.A. Regiment's departure would have to be delayed, but could not extend beyond June 1958.
2.
It is noted that your requirement is still for two major units additional to the six permanent units of the garrison though from report of Minister of Defence's recent discussions with you, it had appeared that you had, albeit reluctantly, accepted the compromise proposal for one additional unit. Present indications are however that there will be great difficulty in providing two units, or even one unit, unless Hong Kong is willing to meet the excess cost approximately £250,000 per unit, per annum.
3.
The War Office has also intimated that accommodation in Malaya will not be available for at least five years, so that, if a suitable arrangement can be made to station one or both units in Hong Kong, the interval should suffice to enable the police force to be built up as you have indicated and for the ill-effects of the closure of the dockyard to be covered.
I should
4.
Ministers are anxious to get this matter resolved as War Office must make preparations. therefore be grateful for your early comments.
Distribution:-
H. 504
Mr. Melville-
Mr. Carstairs
Mr. W.I.J. Wallace
Mr. Campbell
Mr. Vile
Mr. Hughes
Mr. N.D. Watson
War Office(M.0.2)
Page 35 Ministry of Defence
Lt. Col. A.F. McGill
Mr. R.G.K. Way Page 35 of 85
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TREASURY CHAMBER 85
GREAT GEORGE STREET
LONDON, S.W.1
Treasury IF 242/16/02
Reference
TOP SECRET
Dear Ashton
Heat 25/10
October, 1957
Thank you for your letter of 8th October about 'the payment in the current year of Hong Kong's defence
contribution of £1 million
We are disturbed by the suggestion in the second paragraph of your letter that the matter cannot be brought to a satisfactory conclusion before a decision
has been taken about the two units over and above the long-term garrison. The matter as it stood after the meeting of the Defence Committee on 23rd July, 1957, is described in the second paragraph of my letter of
(2020th September. I take it, therefore, that in your
assed (17) ya..
letter you are referring to the need to present the matter in Hong Kong in a satisfactory light, and not to the fundamental question of whether a defence contribu- tion should be paid at all. The decision on that has been already taken. Furthermore nothing was said at the meeting of the Defence Committee to indicate that the contribution would not be paid in the normal way. We understand from the War Office that payments are normally made quarterly, but that no payment has yet been made this year.
We hope, therefore, that the matter will be regularised as soon as possible. I am sending a copy
of this letter to Charlton.
Yours sincerely,
مسند است
K. G. Ashton, Esq.,
Colonial Office,
The
EDMUNI
V. RUSSELL EDMOR 36 of 85
Page of church House
Gt. Smith Street,
S.V.1.