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ANNEX II
DRAFT TELEGRAM
A.M.9.S.0.
J.S.M. Washington.
C.-in-C. B.P.F.
Admiral Harcourt
S.A.C.S.E... (GUARD) C.-in-C. India.
0.0.8.(?)
August, 1945.
You will have seen the directive issued to Admiral Harcourt repeated to you as for your own information. U.S. Chiefs of Staff that:-
2.
This directive is You should, however, inform the
(a) We have appointed Admiral Harcourt C.-in-C.
of the forces of all three Services in Hong Kong He will be directly responsible to London for the security of the Colony
(which includes the New Territories) and
for the conduct of the Military Administration which he has been ordered to establish there.
(b) In conformity with our undertaking in
0.0.S.(W).69, Admiral Harcourt has been instructed to provide port and other
facilities in the Colony for the assistance and support of American and Chinese forces in the hinterland.
(c) We are informing Generalissimo Chiang Kai-
Shek of these arrangements.
For your own information it is possible that the Generalissimo may argue that Hong Kong is still within the China Theatre, and that he is, therefore, entitled to issue orders to Admiral Harcourt. We do not intend ourselves to raise the question of theatres of command, but if the Generalissimo does so we shall take the line that we regard the end of the Japanese war as terminating the arrangement whereby Hong Kong is within the China theatre.
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