Enclosure No.4.
1.
عرب
Minute by Air Marshall Sir E. Ellington
194
This is obviously a scheme for supplying aircraft to China and possibly to Japan, as soon as possible. This being so, the intention at present at any rate must be to erect aircraft from parts imported from abroad: the engines must in any case come from overseas.
2.
In principle the Air Ministry are likely to welcome the establishment of an aircraft factory in Hong Kong. This will add to the local resources for maintenance of aircraft and will, especially educate a body of skilled labour which will be of great use in war.
3. The Air Ministry will deprecate that such a business should be entirely under American control, but I do not expect that this would prove an over-riding objection if British capital and enterprise could not be induced to participate.
4.
The Air Ministry is unlikely to agree to any encroachment
on the Kai Tak aerodrome. The most they are likely to permit is such
testing facilities as the Civil Airport can afford without building extensions, not at present contemplated.
5.
The attitude of the Foreign Office to the establishment
at the present time of a factory which obviously seeks to supply aircraft to the belligerents and especially to the Chinese, I cannot assess with any degree of certainty; though I should expect them to
oppose it on the grounds that it is likely to add to their
difficulties with the Japanese.
6.
The estimate of 300 single engine aircraft a year given
in the letter dated October 22nd and received on December 13th
need not necessarily mean that they intend to manufacture single
engine aircraft, but it is an estimate of the capacity of the
factory they want to erect, which would be understood by anyone
who is familiar with the aircraft industry.
(sd) E. Ellington.
Marshall of the R. A. F.