SECRET
GUARD
Page 55
13.
3.
Efforts would, no doubt, be made through Communist-controlled employees to prevent the functioning of Government departments and, in particular, of those such as the Fire Brigade and the Marine Department which would be of special importance in an emergency.
14.
Efforts would also probably be made to prevent the armed services from coming effectively to the aid of Government. At the same time Chinese forces in areas adjoining the frontier might well be built up or embark on potentially hostile moves with the aim of diverting to the frontier area the attention and manpower which the armed forces might otherwise be able to give to Government's assistance.
15.
Early action would, no doubt, be taken to close the frontier and thereby to cut off from the Colony a large part of its food supplies (see para 21 below).
16.
No information is available as to any stocks of arms or explosives that the Communists may have in the Colony. Even, however, if no such stocks already exist, it would be a comparatively simple matter to bring them in by junk either before, or in the course of, an emergency, and it must be expected that agents, either already in Hong Kong or brought in at the time, would have the means to carry out sabotage and acts of personal terrorism.
17.
In the event of internal disturbance, criminal, Triad and right-wing elements and trade unions would, no doubt, take advantage of the situation to pursue their individual ends and Communist agitators may be expected to make use of at least the first two groups to provoke disorder and exploit anti-foreign feeling.
POSSIBLE SUCCESS OF COMMUNIST ACTION
18.
Although many present left-wing followers are so not by conviction but to obtain the benefits offered by, for example, the welfare schemes organised by the left-wing unions and to insure against the possibility of finding themselves one day under Communist control, such people would certainly be unreliable in an emergency and, even if they did not actively assist in trouble-making, would be unlikely to take a stand against the Communist leaders. It seems unlikely that in such an event the right-wing and so-called "free" unions would have much control over their members or ability to intervene, even if they had the inclination. It must be expected, therefore, that, if the Communists decided to exert their full pressure, they would be able seriously to interfere with the services mentioned in paragraph 6.
19.
For the same reasons, the Communists could also, if they chose, seriously disrupt the working of such Government departments as the Fire Brigade and the Marine Department, although reliable staff, with the Auxiliary Fire Service and assistance from the Essential Services Corps (see below) and troops for the unloading of ships, could probably maintain skeleton services.
20.
In the armed forces the Communists would probably be able to bring about a serious dislocation of work in workshops and ordnance depots, and particularly in the Royal Naval Dockyard, The degree of help likely to be available to the civil authorities from the armed services would be dependent on these difficulties and the possible military threat at the frontier.
21.
In the matter of food supplies, Hong Kong is dependent on China for its supplies of to of its green vegetables, almost all its fruit, a large part of its fresh meat, almost all its poultry and eggs
Page 55
Page 55
Page 56 SECRET
GUARD
4.