Page 98
Page 98
NOT er
COMINIONS
'HIS DOCUMENT IS TULIRBŐPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT
INIO 17, 1945.
December
CHINA.
CONFIDENTIAL.
SECTION 1.
[F 11795/1147/10]
Copy No. 8
Mr. Wallinger to Mr. Bevin.-—(Received 17th December.)
(No. 1206.)
嫚
Chungking, 30th November, 1945.
Sir,
I HAVE the honour to transmit to you, herewith, a copy of a memorandum by the General Officer Commanding British troops in China, on the recent visit to Chungking of Major-General F. W. Festing, C.B.E., D.S.O., Commander of the Landforces in Hong Kong.
2. I fully endorse Major-General Hayes' opinion that this visit was eminently successful and timely; and the numbers of senior Chinese officers who turned up at the various functions to do honour to the visitor was striking and gratifying.
3. I would myself be inclined to take a more cautious attitude in regard to Chinese reactions to Hong Kong than is taken by General Hayes. It is indeed true and the point has been made in other communications to you from this embassy-that Chinese high authorities have recently shown an increasing tendency to seek British co-operation in their solution of their problems. To that extent one might logically expect that China's "natural aspirations" in regard to Hong Kong should be relegated to the background. Moreover, I feel sure that thinking Chinese do appreciate the value to China, and of course to their own personal affairs, of having a stable administration in so convenient a location as the colony. This indeed gives emphasis to the contention that the more rapid the consolidation of the economic situation of the colony, the greater the advan- But tage of its existence to British interests in the Far East as a whole. Hong Kong as a theme for political tub-thumping is as convenient to the Chinese as its geographical location, and it must be difficult to give any definition of the word immediate" in General Hayes' view that we certainly need have no immediate fear of trouble with the Chinese over Hong Kong."
4. For the rest, I agree with the General's conclusion that, having regard to the trend here towards seeking British co-operation, a show of firmness upon rights and decision as to our objectives is more likely to pay dividends than an over-investment in appeasement.
I have, &c.
Enclosure.
G. A. WALLINGER.
Major-General Hayes to Mr. Wallinger.
Headquarters, British Troops in China,
Chungking, 26th November, 1945.
THE recent four-day visit to Chungking of Major-General F. W. Festing, C.B.E., D.S.O., Commander Landforces Hong Kong, was noteworthy for the extremely cordial nature of the reception he received from all Chinese military authorities from the Generalissimo downwards.
General Festing, the former Commander of the 36th British Division, is of course well known by name to most senior Chinese soldiers and is held in high regard by those of them with whom he co-operated so successfully in Burma. Nevertheless that alone cannot be held accountable for the warmth of the welcome he received.
In the course of his short visit he had the honour of dining with the Generalissimo and Mme. Chiang Kai-shek, of lunching with the acting Chief of Staff, and of attending a cocktail party given for him by General Ho Yin Chin, Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese army. In addition, all prominent Chinese generals present in Chungking made a point of attending a reception I gave in
[73-31]
Page 98
7
Page 98
Page 98