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their ambitions in MALAYA, BURMA, the SOUTH SEAS and even in
TIBET. Chinese propaganda on the subject has already gone
so far that they would regard rendition not as a free gift but
as the belated satisfaction of their rightful demands. They
would conclude that we had discarded HONGKONG from weakness and
increase the scope and pressure of their demands. They would not
respect us, nor feel particularly grateful. They would be more
likely to misconstrue our motives and to resent any resistance to
appetites excited by appeasement in the face of a successful high
pressure propaganda campaign, for the Chinese politicians would
naturally impute the credit for any success they might achieve
to their own initiative and skill and determination rather
than to any real generosity on our part.
There are doubtless many Chinese who would like to see
us retain HONGKONG to ensure one area with a Chinese atmosphere
in which they could trade and reside under the protection of the
British flag immune from civil wars and incalculable exactions.
But, however numerous and comparatively influential these may be,
and they would comprise politicians and educationalists as well
as traders and private individuals, they would never dare to voice
their opinions in the face of organized nationalistic opinion and
in opposition to the Kuomintang. Nor would it be wise on our
part to make any appeal to such sentiment, however much we might
be made aware of it in confidence. What should we do?
Opinions will differ considerably on this point.
Some,
for instance, may advocate sitting tight and keeping silent. In
face, however, of Chinese propaganda and vocal pro-Chinese opinions
and of the necessity for cultivating a firm British public opinion
in favour of what to many may seem an ungenerous and shortsighted
dog-in-the-manger attitude, I venture to prefer a more positive
policy.
To my mind the first approach to the problem should be
the cultivation of deep faith in the strength and destiny of the
British Empire and in its power for good in the World and an
unwavering belief in the integrity of our statesmanship and of
our Imperial policy in relation to the post-war World. When we
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